Fire Rising
by TheShadowedWarrior
Summary: When Rose enters the forest, a chance encounter with three ThunderClan cats drags her into a world she hadn't even realized existed. An AU where a female Rusty runs into Bluefur, Thistleclaw, and Tigerpaw instead of Tiny/Scourge.
1. The Ginger Kittypet

**It's the new story I mentioned, y'all! Long story short, this is basically an AU where Thistleclaw, Tigerpaw, and Bluefur ran into Rusty instead of Tiny. So yeah, Rusty and Tiny have more or less switched places...or maybe Tiny just won't exist? I haven't decided what to do with him yet. **

**Also, this is fem! Firestar. ****_Yes, there is a reason for this that's related to the plot, but I can't say what it is without spoiling too much. _**

**Anyway, I still don't own Warriors. I'm working on it, though. **

* * *

Rose padded through the forest near the fence that cut off the entrance to Twolegplace, sniffing curiously at a daisy. Every so often, she glanced furtively over her shoulder at the top of the fence. She wasn't supposed to be here–her mother had warned her countless times about the dangers of the forest, especially the wild cats that apparently ate kittypets and sharpened their claws on bone–but the little ginger molly couldn't resist the temptation of having a little adventure. The stories always made her scoff. Why would any cat want to live in the forest, and more importantly, who would eat another cat? Besides, it wasn't as though she was planning on going too far in. She was simply going to have a quick look around, and she would go home before Quince woke up from her afternoon nap.

_I can't wait to tell Socks and Ruby about this, _Rose thought. _I'll bet they were never brave enough to go into the forest. _

Suddenly, without warning, something crashed into Rose, sending the young kittypet sprawling. She didn't even have time to recover before she was flattened by a mass of striped dark brown fur. As a strange scent filled her nostrils, she realized that her attacker was a young tom, but much bigger than any of the ones in Twolegplace. His muscles were hard underneath his thick tabby fur, and his claws pierced her like thorns as he raked them down her flank.

"Kittypet!" he sneered. "Get off of ThunderClan's territory if you know what's good for you!"

Fury and defiance welled up inside Rose. She didn't know who or what this "ThunderClan" was, but she wasn't about to let herself be bullied by some upstart tom. Summoning up what strength she had, she raked her claws down his face and used her back legs to fling her attacker off of her, sending him flying a few tail-lengths away. He looked stunned by her sudden counterattack. Rose scrambled back to her paws, hissing as the dark brown tabby staggered back to his feet as well.

"Pathetic," a new voice sneered. Rose turned her head to the side to see a blue-furred molly approaching them, followed by a massive gray and white tom with spiky fur. He was the one who had spoken. "I thought an apprentice that _I _trained would put up a better fight than that against a kittypet, Tigerpaw, but clearly I was wrong."

The now-named Tigerpaw flattened his ears. "I'm sorry, Thistleclaw. I'll do better next time."

"No matter now. I'll just finish what you started," Thistleclaw meowed smoothly, turning to face Rose again. He unsheathed his claws. "You did well against my apprentice, kittypet, but let's see how you fight against a real warrior."

Rose narrowed her eyes, sizing up her new opponent. Thistleclaw was _massive_, even bigger than Tigerpaw, and she knew that he would probably be able to kill her in one blow if he wanted. But she wasn't about to let him intimidate her just because she happened to be smaller. She let out a snarl of defiance and arched her back, pleased to see a look of surprise flicker across the gray warrior's face.

Before either of them could move, however, the blue-gray molly leaped in front of them. "That's enough, Thistleclaw!" she ordered. "Can't you see she's already hurt? You don't need to do anything else to her."

Glancing down at herself, Rose saw that the strange molly was right. Her flank was dripping with blood from several scratches, and she had a bite on her shoulder that stung like fury. She felt a pang of dismay. What was her mother going to say when she came back looking the way she did?

Then she realized she had another problem. These wounds were almost definitely going to leave scars, and then who was going to take her? She wasn't going to be pretty enough for any housefolk to want her anymore. Rose was certain of this; after all, one of her old friends, a molly named Blossom, had mysteriously disappeared after getting into a fight with a fox that had strayed into Twolegplace. She had survived the fight but had been left with multiple scars, and no one had seen any trace of her since. Blossom never even appeared in her housefolk's window, and there were rumors that a few other kittypets had seen them drop her off into the forest.

"An intruder is an intruder, Bluefur! I'm just making sure the kittypet has learned her lesson," Thistleclaw growled.

"And you've done that. She won't dare trespass again," Bluefur meowed, sounding as though she was attempting to reason with her companion. Her blue eyes suddenly blazed with anger and she added, "And if I ever catch you doing something like that again, I'll report you to Sunstar!"

_Sunstar? Who's that? _Rose wondered. _And what's with all the strange names? _

Thistleclaw sneered and whirled around, storming off into the forest with Tigerpaw hurrying after him. Bluefur stared after them for a few moments before turning to Rose, her expression much gentler than it was a few moments ago. Rose tensed slightly as the older molly sniffed at her wounds, ready to fight to protect herself again if necessary.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you," Bluefur murmured. "Are you alright? Those look like some nasty scratches."

"I-I'm fine," Rose stammered. "But if my mother sees me, she's going to know I went into the forest. I'm going to be in so much trouble...and I don't think anyone will want a kittypet covered in scars. I'm not pretty enough for a Twoleg to want to keep me anymore."

"Well, you still are very pretty, if it makes you feel any better," Bluefur replied, and Rose purred gratefully. "But I can see where you're coming from. Tell you what, why don't you come back to my camp? I can ask my Clan's medicine cat to look at your wounds, and then I'll ask my leader if he'll let you stay. You put up a good fight against Tigerpaw today; I have a feeling he'll see potential in you."

Rose thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure," she agreed. She didn't know what she was going to be getting herself into, but it had to be better than being abandoned and forced to wander this vast, expansive forest all on her own.


	2. Fire's New Beginning

The forest was much larger than Rose had anticipated. It felt as though she had been following Bluefur for days, and yet they still didn't seem to be any closer to reaching her home. Rose's flanks were stinging and her paws ached, but she refused to let herself fall behind. She couldn't afford to show weakness now, especially since her only hope of finding a home would be with Bluefur and–what were they called again? ThunderClan?

"Are you alright?" Bluefur asked, pausing at the top of a log. "We can always stop and rest if you want. I don't want you to aggravate your injuries any more than they already have been."

Rose shook her head fervently. "I'm okay," she answered. "Does this entire forest really belong to ThunderClan?"

"Well, part of it does," the blue-gray molly answered. "The forest is divided between four Clans–ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan. If Sunstar allows you to stay, you'll probably learn more about the history of the Clan territories."

"Who's Sunstar?" Rose asked curiously, following Bluefur deeper into the forest.

"Sunstar is the leader of my Clan. He's the one oversees everything that happens in the Clan, from settling issues with the other Clans to apprentice training, and even appointing new warriors," Bluefur meowed. "Thistleclaw and I are warriors. Tigerpaw is our Clan's apprentice, and Whitekit, Brindlekit, Redkit, Spottedkit, Willowkit, and Frostkit are waiting to become apprentices."

Rose frowned slightly. "Why do they all have names that end in 'kit'?" she asked. "And why aren't Whitekit, Brindlekit, Spottedkit, Redkit, Willowkit, and Frostkit allowed to be apprentices yet?"

"I'm impressed that you even noticed. All kits have names that have the suffix 'kit'. Those six aren't apprentices yet because they haven't reached their sixth moon," the blue-furred queen told her. "When they become apprentices, they'll take on the suffix 'paw'–so Whitekit will become Whitepaw, for example. And then, once an apprentice has completed their warrior training, the Clan holds a special ceremony to honor them, and they're given a new name. There are other instances in which cats will have the same ending to their name. For example, all Clan leaders take on the suffix 'star' after receiving their nine lives from StarClan."

"Nine lives? Ceremony? StarClan?"

The blue-gray molly purred in amusement. "You'll understand in time, Rose," she meowed. "Our way of life may seem complicated to you at first, but I have no doubt you'll figure everything out in time."

Rose nodded. "I can see why you were named Bluefur," she remarked, looking over at her new friend's blue-gray pelt. "But I do have one more question. Was Thistleclaw named that way because he has spiky fur, or because his personality is about as pleasant as one of those stupid things?"

Bluefur snorted with laughter. "If Sunstar doesn't let you stay, he'll be making a grave mistake."

* * *

As soon as Rose and Bluefur entered the blue-gray warrior's camp, the eyes of every cat immediately turned towards them. A few of them looked suspicious, but Rose noticed that a few expressions were sympathetic as well. She guessed that they must have heard about what had happened–perhaps Tigerpaw or Thistleclaw had told them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tigerpaw glaring at her, but she refused to meet his gaze.

A large tom with bright ginger fur and yellow eyes strode up to them. "Bluefur," he greeted her. "Thistleclaw informed me that there was an incident at the border today. Does this young one have anything to do with that?"

"A little. I'll explain what happened, but could I take Rose to Goosefeather first?" Bluefur requested. "She got clawed pretty badly by Tigerpaw, and I want to get her wounds looked at as soon as possible."

"Of course, but meet me in my den after you're done," the ginger tom meowed.

"I will, Sunstar. Thank you," Bluefur meowed obediently, dipping her head.

She led Rose across the camp in the direction of a fern-covered clearing, pushing her way inside to reveal a small cave. Inside, two toms were sorting out piles of leaves and flowers. The older one had speckled gray fur and pale blue eyes, while the younger one was silver with amber eyes. Both of them turned to look at Bluefur and Rose, their eyes softening with worry when they saw the state the young kittypet was in.

"Hello Goosefeather, Featherwhisker," Bluefur meowed to the two toms. "Do you mind looking at her wounds? She got into a fight with Tigerpaw earlier."

"Of course. Bring her over here," the older tom replied, and Bluefur gently nudged her forward. He began applying cobwebs to the scratches on Rose's flank. Once he was finished with that, he chewed up a few marigold leaves and spat them onto her pelt.

"What are those supposed to be for?" she asked.

"The cobwebs are there to help stop the bleeding, and I'm using a marigold poultice to help prevent infection," he answered. He turned to the younger tom and meowed, "Featherwhisker, get me some poppy seeds from the stores. Two should do the trick."

Featherwhisker nodded and disappeared into the back of the medicine den. Rose watched him go curiously, then turned to Goosefeather again.

"Why do you need poppy seeds?" she inquired.

"I'm going to give them to you to help you sleep," the old tom replied. "You look as though you've had a long day, and I want you to be well-rested for later."

Rose wanted to ask what was happening later, but she didn't want to annoy Goosefeather by asking any more questions. A few moments later, Featherwhisker returned with a leaf bundle clasped in his jaws. He set it down at her paws, opening it to reveal two black seeds placed delicately inside.

"I need to go speak to Sunstar now, but I'll be back later," Bluefur promised. She nodded to the ginger molly and added, "Feel better, Rose."

With that, she turned and disappeared out of the medicine den, her tail swishing behind her as she padded away. Despite knowing that she would see the blue-gray cat again soon, Rose couldn't suppress a pang of worry. What if Sunstar didn't let her stay? It seemed nice here in ThunderClan; she didn't want to go back to being a kittypet.

"So, what happened to you anyway?" Goosefeather asked, dragging her attention onto him.

"I decided to go exploring while my mother was napping," Rose meowed. "I was looking at a flower when he attacked me. We fought for a while and Thistleclaw tried to join in, but Bluefur wouldn't let him."

Goosefeather shook his head. "Thistleclaw has always been a bloodthirsty, ambitious young warrior, and it's only gotten worse since Snowfur died. The warrior code forbids attacking kits, but it seems as though he's forgotten that."

Rose wondered who this Snowfur cat was, but she decided that it would be best to let the matter drop. She had a feeling it wasn't really any of her business anyway. Besides, she would probably find out in due time if she was allowed to stay in ThunderClan.

The old medicine cat nudged the poppy seeds in her direction. "Eat these," he ordered. "And then get some sleep. We'll wake you up if anything important happens."

Rose nodded obediently and lapped up the tiny black seeds. Instantly, she felt her eyelids beginning to grow heavy. Letting out a yawn, she curled her tail over her back legs and laid her head in between her forepaws, allowing a wave of sleep to claim her.

* * *

When Rose woke up a few hours later, the first thing she realized was that the fur around her neck suddenly felt much cooler than before. It didn't take long to figure out the reason. Lying a few tail-lengths away, ripped in half, was her collar. She stared at it in confusion, wondering how and when it had been removed.

"Goosefeather removed that for you while you were asleep," Featherwhisker meowed, emerging from the back of the medicine den. "If you're going to stay in ThunderClan with us, then you can't be wearing a collar."

"Yeah, of course. Sorry, I guess I should have thought to remove it before I came here," Rose meowed apologetically.

Featherwhisker's ear twitched. "Don't worry about it. You had a long day," he reassured her. "But while I'm here, how are your wounds feeling?"

"Better," Rose answered truthfully. "They don't hurt as much anymore."

"That's good. Sunstar is going to call a meeting soon, so–"

Featherwhisker's next words were cut off as a voice yowled from outside, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."

The silver tom shook his head in amusement and looked down at Rose. "Well, that's our call. Come on, we need to go meet the rest of the Clan."

Rose climbed back to her feet and followed Featherwhisker out of the medicine den and into the clearing. A throng of cats was gathered at the base of a large rock, all of them looking to the top eagerly. Sunstar stood on top of the rock, his head raised proudly as he waited for the Clan to gather. A few paces away, Rose saw Bluefur sitting next to a gray tabby molly with a tail the color of a rose. She glanced over at Featherwhisker, and when he nodded, she went to join her friend. Bluefur touched her tail to her shoulder in greeting but didn't remove her gaze from Sunstar.

"Clanmates, it was brought to my attention that Tigerpaw, Thistleclaw, and Bluefur encountered a young kittypet while on patrol earlier today," Sunstar meowed from the top of the Highrock. "Although the kittypet showed no sign of being a threat and was, in fact, still a kit, Tigerpaw and Thistleclaw saw fit to attack her."

There were several exclamations of horror as a few of the ThunderClan cats began whispering amongst themselves. Rose saw a black molly looking at Tigerpaw with something like disappointment in her gaze, while a few tail-lengths away, a dark red molly with a gray muzzle glared furiously at Thistleclaw.

"Tigerpaw, as punishment for your behavior today, you will clean the elders' den for three moons. You will also not be allowed to attend Gatherings during that time, and if I hear that you're slacking off on your duties, one moon will be added to your punishment," Sunstar went on. "Thistleclaw, you are also banned from Gatherings for three moons, and you will not be Tigerpaw's mentor anymore."

The gray and white warrior jerked his head up. "What?!" he exclaimed, outraged. "You can't do that!"

"Do not tell me what I can and cannot do, Thistleclaw. I am your leader, and my word is law," the bright ginger tom meowed in a voice that invited no argument. Thistleclaw glowered at Sunstar but wisely chose to back off.

"Leopardfoot," Sunstar continued, turning to the black molly. "I don't normally allow kin to mentor kin, but you are a capable warrior and you may be exactly what Tigerpaw needs. Therefore, you will continue his training."

Leopardfoot dipped her head respectfully. "Of course, Sunstar," she meowed.

She padded forward and touched noses with Tigerpaw. Even from where she sat, Rose could see the sorrowful, almost motherly look in the black warrior's eyes. Tigerpaw, for his part, was looking almost embarrassed about having Leopardfoot as his mentor. She wondered why then decided she didn't have time to concern herself with him.

"There is one more ceremony I want to perform," Sunstar meowed, snapping Rose's attention back onto him. "Bluefur tells me that our young kittypet friend did well in fighting back against Tigerpaw and Thistleclaw today. If she wishes, I would like to invite her to become a member of ThunderClan. So Rose, will you accept our offer and train to become a warrior?"

Rose felt her fur prickle with excitement, but she managed to keep her voice calm as she replied, "I will."

"Then from this moment on, until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Firepaw," Sunstar meowed, and the flame-colored molly felt a small prickle of surprise. She had assumed that Sunstar would simply name her Rosepaw. Not that she didn't like her new name, of course. "Bluefur, you are ready for your first apprentice. I trust that you will pass on all that I taught you, as well as the skills you learned from Stonepelt, onto this young apprentice."

Firepaw felt a surge of delight as Bluefur nodded in acceptance, touching her nose to the younger cat's as Leopardfoot and Tigerpaw had done. She was going to become a ThunderClan warrior! Even better, Bluefur was going to be the one training her. Then she realized that Tigerpaw was glaring at her from the other side of the clearing. Firepaw flashed him a look of defiance and turned her head away. She was an apprentice of ThunderClan just like him; if he thought that he was going to intimidate her, he had another think coming.

Whether anyone else liked it or not, Firepaw was a member of ThunderClan now, and she was here to stay. If Tigerpaw had a problem with that, well, he would just have to learn to deal with it.

* * *

** Firepaw's a tough girl, isn't she? I'll be honest, I'm looking forward to developing her relationship with Tigerpaw. Thistleclaw is still an asshole. **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: I've read a few stories from the Heart of Fire series, actually. To be honest, their stories were what got me on board the FirexTiger ship train. But I decided to set this story in the Bluestar's Prophecy timeline because...reasons. One of those reasons being because I want Tigerpaw/claw to turn good early (whoops, slight spoiler), but also...other reasons. They'll be revealed in time. **

**avacat123: Thanks! I've actually never done a genderbend fic before, so this is uncharted territory for me. Hopefully, I don't screw up too much. **

**Person: Awww hell yeah XD. Glad you're enjoying it so far! **

**Aventika: Thank you! **

**I'll update Echoing Flames: A Dangerous Path within the next few days or so, depending on how my schedule looks. College life is fun, y'all. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	3. Border Patrol

When Tigerpaw woke up the next morning, Firepaw was already sitting outside the apprentices' den, staring absentmindedly around the camp. She glanced over at him as he passed by but didn't say anything, curling her tail over her paws and letting her gaze drift over to the warriors' den. It was clear that the flame-colored molly had no intention of striking up a conversation with him, and he was fine with that. The fact that he was stuck with a kittypet for a denmate was already embarrassing enough; the less he had to be reminded of her existence, the better.

_What was Sunstar thinking, letting her join ThunderClan? _Tigerpaw thought mutinously, glaring at Firepaw's back. _It's her fault I'm in trouble. If she had just stayed in Twolegplace where she belongs, this would never have happened. I'd still have Thistleclaw as my mentor too. _

At last, Bluefur and Leopardfoot emerged from the warriors' den. The two warriors padded over to their apprentices, pausing at the fresh-kill pile and selecting two mice each. Bluefur dropped a mouse in front of Firepaw and sat down beside her apprentice, while Tigerpaw's mother brought him a meal of his own.

"You know, you two are allowed to take food from the fresh-kill pile when you wake up," Leopardfoot told the two apprentices. "You don't have to wait until everyone else is awake to eat breakfast."

"Thanks, Leopardfoot," Firepaw meowed, sounding a bit uncomfortable. Tigerpaw just nodded.

"Eat as quickly as you can. We have a long day ahead of us," Bluefur meowed. "We'll be patrolling the ShadowClan border today."

The two apprentices nodded and quickly wolfed down their mice. Once they were finished, they got up and followed Bluefur and Leopardfoot out of the camp. As the exited through the gorse tunnel, they passed by Rosetail and Thrushpelt. Firepaw nodded to the two warriors as they walked by, but Tigerpaw simply ignored them. After everything that had happened the previous evening, he had no desire to be friendly with any of his Clanmates.

Fortunately, his companions seemed to be content to let the patrol pass by in silence. Well, Bluefur did make sure to quiz Firepaw on a few of the land markings they passed by, but everyone left Tigerpaw alone for the most part. Despite his violent apathy towards the former kittypet, Tigerpaw had to admit that she was a quick learner. Of course, the topics she was being tested on were concepts easily grasped by the smallest kit, but at least she wasn't completely useless.

Soon, the four cats had reached the Thunderpath that separated ThunderClan's forest from ShadowClan's damp, dark woodland. As they approached the border, Firepaw stopped suddenly, her face screwed up in obvious disgust.

"Ugh!" the ginger molly exclaimed. "What _is _that? It smells like something died here, crowfood, and the dirtplace all mixed in one!"

"That's ShadowClan scent," Bluefur meowed, her whiskers twitching in amusement. "The scent here is fairly fresh, so do you know what that means?"

"We found the source of the disgusting stench?" Firepaw suggested.

Tigerpaw rolled his eyes and meowed, "It can mean one of two things. Either a patrol has just passed by the area, or there are ShadowClan cats nearby, but we can't see them."

"Very good, Tigerpaw," Leopardfoot praised her son, and Tigerpaw shot Firepaw a mocking glance. "And would you say that the ShadowClan cats have crossed onto our territory?"

This time, it was Firepaw who answered. "No," the flame-pelted molly meowed. "We're downwind from where the scent is coming from–I can feel a breeze coming from the other side of the border. The breeze is probably blowing the ShadowClan scent onto our territory."

"Well done, Firepaw," Bluefur meowed approvingly. Tigerpaw waited to see if Firepaw would say or do anything as payment for him taunting her earlier, but she didn't even glance his way. "Now, if you two happen to run into a ShadowClan patrol on our territory, what should you do?"

Tigerpaw didn't even hesitate this time. "Attack, of course," he retorted. "They're on our territory and they need to be driven off. The warrior code demands that we chase off all trespassers."

Bluefur and Leopardfoot glanced between themselves. "Well, that is one option," the black molly replied finally. "But do you really think it's wise to take on an entire patrol by yourself–one that consists of warriors far more experienced in battle than you are?"

"I could take on a ShadowClan patrol any day," Tigerpaw meowed confidently. He was the strongest cat in ThunderClan, after all–well, second-strongest after Thistleclaw, but he would get to the top one day.

"_You?_" Firepaw asked, her emerald-green eyes filled with disbelief. It was the first time she'd spoken to him or acknowledged his presence all morning. "What could _you _do? You're just an apprentice!"

"I've been training as a warrior for one moon. That's more than a puny kittypet like _you _could say," Tigerpaw sneered.

Firepaw just rolled her eyes. "How impressive, an entire moon of training," she meowed, not even bothering to hide the condescending note in her voice. "The other Clans must be trembling in their nests knowing that _you're _on our side, O Mighty and Noble Tigerpaw. Why I wouldn't be surprised if they just turned tail and ran back home at the sight of you."

"That's enough, both of you," Bluefur ordered before Tigerpaw could respond. "We still have a lot of work to do, and this isn't the time to argue amongst ourselves."

"Sorry, Bluefur," Firepaw meowed contritely, ducking her head.

"Tigerpaw?" Leopardfoot spoke up. "Do you have anything to add?"

Tigerpaw glared down at his paws, then muttered, "Sorry."

"I'm sorry?" his mother prompted. "I didn't quite catch what you said."

"I said I'm _sorry,_" Tigerpaw meowed, sighing in exasperation.

Leopardfoot gave him a disapproving look but chose not to press the matter any further. She and Bluefur turned and kept walking along the ShadowClan border, with Firepaw following after the two warriors. Tigerpaw glared after them for a few heartbeats, then got up and started walking after them as well. As they walked, Bluefur continued quizzing Firepaw on different landmarks, but Tigerpaw was no longer interested in eavesdropping. Somehow, he had ended up in an even worse mood than when he'd left the camp if that was even possible.

By the time they returned back to the camp, the dark tabby apprentice wanted nothing more than to take a piece of fresh-kill and curl up in his nest. Unfortunately, it seemed that StarClan had other plans for him. Before he could make one move towards the prey pile, he found his path being blocked by his mother.

"And where do you think you're going?" she asked. "You still need to take care of the elders, remember? Come on, it's time to go fetch fresh bedding for them, and then once you're done with that, you need to visit Goosefeather to get mouse bile for any ticks they have."

_Oh, right. _

Somehow, Tigerpaw had managed to forget that he was still on punishment for attacking Firepaw. Now that he had been reminded, however, his foul mood increased tenfold. He turned to glare at the ginger apprentice, but she was nowhere to be seen. She must have left while he wasn't paying attention.

Growling in frustration, Tigerpaw stalked past Leopardfoot and headed back into the forest to gather fresh moss. Every passing moment seemed to increase his resentment of the former kittypet. First, she got him in trouble _and _lost him his mentor, and then she had the nerve to taunt him. This was why the Clan forbade mingling with kittypets. They brought nothing but trouble.

The only comfort Tigerpaw had now was that he wouldn't have to deal with Firepaw forever. Sooner or later, she would realize that Clan life was too much for her, and she would run back to her Twolegs where she belonged. Tigerpaw was absolutely certain of this. All he had to do was be a little patient, and before he knew it, she would be out of his life for good.


	4. A Day in ThunderClan

Firepaw was sitting outside the nursery, watching Whitekit playing with Brindlekit and Frostkit. A few paces away, Redkit was batting at a butterfly with his paws as Willowkit and Spottedkit inspected a small yellow flower. At one point, Brindlekit tumbled in front of the flame-colored apprentice, who moved her paws out of the way so they wouldn't get run over.

It had been nearly half a moon since the former kittypet had joined ThunderClan. Since then, most of the Clan seemed to have gotten used to her presence. The only exceptions were Thistleclaw and Tigerpaw, but Firepaw couldn't care less about what either of them had to say. As long as they didn't go out of their way to bother her, she was perfectly content to pretend they didn't exist. Fortunately, neither of them was interested in interacting with her, so she didn't have anything to worry about on that front.

"Enjoying yourself there, Firepaw?"

Firepaw turned her head to see Rosetail padding over to her. "I'm doing okay," she replied. "The kits are entertaining, at least."

"Where's Bluefur? I thought she was going to take you out hunting today," Rosetail meowed, looking puzzled.

"Sunstar asked her to check Sunningrocks for any RiverClan warriors. I guess the patrols have been scenting them there a lot recently," Firepaw answered, remembering the apologetic look on her mentor's face when she told her that their hunting trip would have to be put on hold. "I asked Bluefur if I could come, but she didn't want me there in case we ran into any trouble. She says I'm not ready to take on a real battle yet."

"That's probably wise," the older molly admitted with a nod. "We don't want our apprentices getting killed before they can become warriors."

"But I thought the warrior code said that we're not supposed to kill in battle unless we have to," Firepaw meowed, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

Rosetail nodded. "It does, but that part of the warrior code tends to be forgotten at times," she answered. "And we've had so many skirmishes with RiverClan over those rocks, it wouldn't surprise me if one of them let the heat of battle get the best of them one of these days."

"Best of luck to Tigerpaw, then," the flame-colored molly snorted. Her denmate had tagged along with Bluefur, as well as Leopardfoot, Thrushpelt, and Stormtail. Firepaw could just imagine how his head would inflate if he got the chance to battle against RiverClan.

"What's wrong with Tigerpaw?" Rosetail asked curiously.

"What _isn't _wrong with Tigerpaw?" Firepaw retorted. "Every single time he talks to me–which, luckily for me, doesn't happen too often–he's either mocking me about being a kittypet or talking about how he's going to be the best warrior in the Clan one day. He's so full of himself, I'm honestly amazed he can even walk with that fat head on his shoulders. That _alone _is an accomplishment worthy of becoming a warrior already. I'll be looking forward to when Whitekit finally becomes an apprentice. At least then, I'll finally have a denmate worth talking to."

She knew that she was being mean, but she couldn't bring herself to care. If Tigerpaw wasn't going to make an effort to be at least cordial towards her, then she saw no reason to do the same for him. It was only fair, after all. Besides, he obviously didn't like her, so it wasn't as though she was hurting his feelings.

Firepaw turned her attention back to the kits, feeling a slight pang in her heart as she watched them play. Although they weren't nearly as close, she couldn't help being reminded of her own siblings, Ruby, and Socks, back in Twolegplace, and she wondered how her family was faring. She hadn't even said goodbye to them before she left; were they worried when she didn't come home? What must her mother have been thinking? Her life in ThunderClan had been wonderful for the most part, but Firepaw couldn't deny that she missed the comfort of having her kin nearby that her Clanmates took for granted.

A small rustling sound jerked Firepaw out of her thoughts. Turning her head, she saw that Bluefur's patrol had finally returned from patrolling Sunningrocks. None of them appeared to be sporting any fresh wounds, so she assumed that meant they hadn't run into any trouble. Firepaw jumped to her paws and bounded over to greet the patrol.

"Did you find anyone there?" she asked eagerly. She had a feeling she knew the answer already, but she wanted to make sure.

"Just a RiverClan warrior named Oakheart, but we chased him off without a fight," Leopardfoot answered. "RiverClan might be full of mouse-brains, but even they know better than to take on a full patrol with just one warrior."

"Just _one _warrior?" Firepaw asked, bewildered. Oakheart was either extremely brave or extremely foolish if he was willing to trespass on ThunderClan territory without backup. "What was he doing?"

Bluefur snorted. "He was sleeping," the blue-gray molly scoffed. Although her voice was contemptuous, there was an odd undertone to it that Firepaw couldn't place. She wondered at it for a few moments but decided it wasn't worth her time to investigate.

Then she realized what her mentor had said. "He was _sleeping?_" she repeated in disbelief. _Well, I guess that answers the question of whether he's brave or an idiot. _"What was he doing _that _for? Couldn't he take a nap on his own territory?"

"For once in my life, I agree with you," Tigerpaw remarked, but Firepaw just ignored him as usual.

"Who knows why RiverClan warriors do anything?" Bluefur asked with a sigh. She shook her head. "Anyway, I believe we were supposed to go out hunting today? That is if you're still up for it."

"Of course!" Firepaw agreed eagerly, feeling a rush of excitement.

"Alright," Bluefur meowed, chuckling as she flicked her apprentice's ear gently with her tail. "Just give me a moment while I–"

But Firepaw had no intention of sitting around in the camp any longer while Bluefur took care of whatever business she had to attend to. After being stuck at home all day, she was looking forward to getting to stretch her legs a little. Before Bluefur could finish her sentence, Firepaw took off through the gorse tunnel, nearly knocking Tigerpaw off his paws in the process. As she sped through the forest, she could hear her mentor chasing after her, panting as she tried to keep up with the ginger molly.

"Firepaw, I said _wait_! I still need to report to Sunstar! And there are foxes and badgers around here, you know! For the love of StarClan, how does a cat with such small legs move so quickly?"

* * *

**Looks like Firepaw is channeling her inner Cinderpaw, lol. Or, well, I guess she doesn't exist yet, so...actually, I don't know who she's channeling. But she's definitely channeling someone. Either that, or she's just hyper right now. **

**Firepaw is still very, very unimpressed by Tigerpaw. She will continue to be so until further notice when...things change. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	5. A Series of Unfortunate Encounters

One moon had passed since Firepaw had joined ThunderClan. Over time, Tigerpaw had slowly gotten used to the fact that the former kittypet would forever be a part of his life. He didn't like it, of course, but he accepted that he couldn't do anything to change it. Besides, he admitted, it wasn't as though her presence was _entirely _horrible. While she certainly wasn't anything special in terms of skills required to become a warrior, Firepaw certainly knew how to keep things interesting between them.

Finally, there was someone in the Clan who didn't stare in amazement every time he boasted about what a powerful warrior he was. She could say whatever she wanted, and for the most part, Tigerpaw let her get away with it. Not because he thought she had a point, of course; he still had his pride. In a way, however, he found her blunt honesty almost refreshing.

It didn't hurt that she was fairly cute as well. Even Tigerpaw could appreciate that. Her bright, flame-colored fur was sleek and glossy, and her emerald-green eyes could either glow as soft as the newleaf sun or pierce deep into one's soul, depending on what mood she was in. Every emotion could be seen in their depths, and Tigerpaw found himself looking at them constantly, even though whenever they were turned on him, they were filled with revulsion.

Of course, he still didn't like her. He just thought that she wasn't the most hideous cat in the forest, that was all. Anyway, it wasn't as though looks meant anything. She could be the most stunning cat in the Clan, and it still wouldn't make her a halfway respectable warrior.

Despite his disinterest in the former kittypet, however, Tigerpaw had still learned quite a bit about her from eavesdropping on her conversations with the queens. He had been surprised to learn that she had difficulties with her family as well, with her two siblings constantly making her the target of their jokes and cruelty. Tigerpaw couldn't help wondering what his own littermates would have been like if they had survived. Would he have a good relationship with them?

She had also mentioned that there were rumors that one of the kittypets, an old tom named Pine, had once lived in the forest. When he had heard that, Tigerpaw wanted to beg StarClan to open up a hole in the ground and swallow him up. He just _knew _who Firepaw was talking about. Fortunately, she didn't seem to make the connection between the former ThunderClan leader and her denmate, and no one else saw any reason to say anything.

Almost instinctively, Tigerpaw glanced at the gorse tunnel. Firepaw had gone out on a hunting assessment earlier that day, and she still hadn't returned. Part of him wondered if she had run into any trouble, but the logical part of his mind argued that she was still busy.

_Wait, why do I even care? _he thought, shaking his head to clear it. _If she doesn't come back from her assessment, that's not my problem. _

A few moments later, however, the gorse tunnel shook as Firepaw and Bluefur padded into the camp. And almost immediately, it became apparent that something was wrong. The two cats were clutching several pieces of prey in their jaws, so Firepaw had almost definitely passed her assessment. But there was no joy in her green eyes, no sense of pride in such an accomplishment. Instead, her tail dragged on the ground behind her, and her expression displayed nothing but deep, weary sadness.

"Welcome back, you two," Thrushpelt meowed, padding over to greet his Clanmates. Tigerpaw almost snorted aloud when he saw the look of longing flash across the older tom's face as he looked at Bluefur. It was so obvious that he was in love with her, even a blind rat could see it. "Looks like Firepaw did well on her assessment today."

"She did," Bluefur meowed quietly, casting a worried look at her apprentice. Thrushpelt followed her gaze, frowning in concern when he saw the downcast expression on the young molly's face.

"Is everything okay?" he asked gently.

Instead of answering, Firepaw just flicked her tail and padded past Thrushpelt, dropping her load off into the fresh-kill pile. Thistleclaw was standing beside the pile, and he cast the ginger molly a disdainful look as she passed by him.

"Back so soon?" he taunted. "What, are you telling me you couldn't even finish your assessment? I'm not surprised, coming from a pathetic kittypet like you."

Firepaw shot Thistleclaw a look so full of hatred, disdain, and annoyance that Tigerpaw was surprised when the gray and white warrior didn't burst into flames. He stepped back, clearly startled by the intensity of her emerald-colored gaze. But she didn't say a word; instead, she merely turned away and kept walking, twitching her ear as though Thistleclaw was merely a fly that needed to be swatted away.

"What happened to her?" Tigerpaw heard Thrushpelt ask Bluefur in a low voice.

"There was an incident while she was on her assessment," the blue-gray warrior answered softly. "I sent her along the Twolegplace border, and she ran into her sister while she was there. The two of them got into an argument–apparently, Firepaw's mother passed away recently, and her sister blamed her for it. She told Firepaw that their mother stopped caring for herself after she disappeared and that it was her fault that she was dead."

"That's awful," Thrushpelt exclaimed, still keeping his voice low. "How did Firepaw react to that?"

"Pretty much as well as you would expect," Bluefur answered dryly. Her eyes softened with sadness as she added, "I managed to get her to calm down, but I thought it would be best to end her assessment early. She did well enough to pass, at any rate."

Hearing that, Tigerpaw couldn't help feeling sorry for Firepaw. Even she didn't deserve to be treated that way by her own sister. He turned away and padded over to the flame-pelted molly, who was sitting just outside the apprentices' den. Her eyes were still dull with sadness, and she didn't even make an attempt to lick the dirt from her fur.

"Firepaw?" he meowed hesitantly.

In an instant, Firepaw's head swiveled towards him, her green eyes now blazing with defiance. Tigerpaw took a step back, shocked at the sudden intensity in her gaze.

"What do you want?" she hissed. "Come to taunt me about coming home early, have you? You're still just like Thistleclaw even though he isn't your mentor anymore."

"N-no, that's not what I was doing," Tigerpaw stammered, taking a step back. "I just wanted to see if you were alright."

"A likely story," Firepaw snorted, her voice laced with bitterness. "Since when do you act as though you care about me? Never. Well, guess what, Tigerpaw? I don't care what you have to say about me anymore. You mean nothing to me. So call me whatever names you can think of if it makes you feel better about yourself. It's not like any of it matters in the end."

With that, she turned around and disappeared into the apprentices' den. Tigerpaw stared after her for a few heartbeats, then got up and padded away, deciding to let her be for now. If she didn't want to talk to him, he wasn't going to force the issue. Besides, he thought to himself, perhaps this would be a good thing. At least this way, he wouldn't have to see her for at least a few hours. It wasn't much, admittedly, but he would take what he could get.

* * *

Later that night, Tigerpaw tossed and turned in his sleep, shivering as the cold, crisp air bit at his fur. It was almost leaf-fall, and there was already a noticeable nip to the air. He cursed silently, curling into a tight ball to try to keep warm. Leaf-fall had always been his favorite season, but he couldn't deny that he would much rather do without the cold weather that came with it.

A moment later, however, he realized that the increasingly frigid weather wasn't the only reason for his discomfort. Firepaw's nest was empty as well, with no trace of the flame-colored molly anywhere in sight. Confused, Tigerpaw stood up and padded out of the apprentices' den, glancing around the camp to see if he could spot his denmate anywhere. But she was nowhere to be found.

_She didn't leave the camp, did she? _

Tigerpaw walked towards the gorse tunnel, trying to see where Firepaw's scent trail led. Her scent was still fairly fresh, so she couldn't have gotten very far. He picked up his pace slightly, following the trail through the gorse tunnel and into the woods. As he sniffed around to see where she had gone, Tigerpaw told himself firmly that he wasn't doing this because he cared about the kittypet. He just didn't want to risk being blamed for her disappearance if someone else happened to wake up and find her missing.

Finally, he stumbled across her at Fourtrees, gazing up at the four great oaks. Cautiously, Tigerpaw padded up to her, tapping her on the shoulder with his tail. Firepaw turned to look at him, her eyes filling with anger when she saw him standing behind her.

"What are you doing here?" she spat angrily. "Did you follow me? No, don't answer that, obviously, you must have. For StarClan's sake, why can't you just leave me in peace?"

"I just wanted to see where you were," Tigerpaw defended himself. "If you disappear like that, some cat's bound to go looking for you. Besides, I'm not doing it for you. I just don't want you to get me in trouble again."

"Get _you _in trouble? I haven't gotten you into anything!" Firepaw snarled, her tail lashing. "See, that's the problem with you, Tigerpaw. You can't ever take responsibility for your actions. Every time you make a mistake, you always find a way to blame it on someone else. You didn't have to follow me here. I can take care of myself and I know my way back to the camp. But if you happen to do something well, you just _have _to take all the credit. I honestly can't believe that you're able to get out of your nest in the morning with that fat head on your shoulders. You _disgust _me and I hate you!"

Tigerpaw stared at her, stunned.

Without waiting for him to respond, Firepaw whirled around and stormed off. But she wasn't heading back in the direction of the ThunderClan camp. Instead, she was making a beeline straight for the WindClan border. Snapping out of his momentary stupor, Tigerpaw chased after his denmate, swerving around her and cutting off her path.

"What are you doing?" he hissed furiously. "You can't go that way!"

"Get out of my way, Tigerpaw!" Firepaw spat. "This is none of your business!"

"You can't just go trespassing on another Clan's territory!" Tigerpaw snapped.

Firepaw glared at him. "You don't know what this is about, so just back off," she meowed rudely.

She tried to walk around him, but Tigerpaw merely blocked her path again. Firepaw let out a hiss of frustration, her claws sliding out.

"Get out of the way!" she snarled. "And for StarClan's sake, leave me alone! I have somewhere I need to be, and I don't need you being a pain in the tail!"

"And where do you need to be that requires you to trespass on WindClan's hunting grounds?" Tigerpaw asked. He knew that he was annoying her, but he was secretly enjoying himself.

"That's none of–"

"You can say that it's none of my business all you want, but it isn't going to make me get out of your way."

Firepaw glared at him for a few more heartbeats. Then her anger seemed to flee, her eyes growing dull and her tail hitting the ground. Suddenly, she seemed even more defeated and sad than when she'd arrived back at the camp earlier that day.

"I was trying to go to the Moonstone," she meowed, letting out a long sigh. "Bluefur told me once that the Moonstone is where the Clans go to speak with StarClan, and I thought...maybe if I went, I would get to see my mother."

_Oh. _

Tigerpaw didn't know what to say to that. He felt guilty for upsetting her now. Of course, she just wanted to see her mother again. What cat wouldn't?

Firepaw shook her head, turning around and stalking back in the direction of the ThunderClan camp. Just before she disappeared, however, she turned to face Tigerpaw one last time, a cold look growing in her emerald eyes.

"If you breathe one word about this to anyone–and I do mean _anyone_–then I will never forgive you," she hissed. "Are we clear?"

With that, she turned around again and kept walking. This time, she didn't stop to look back.


	6. Heart of a Fighter

All in all, this had not been one of Firepaw's better days.

Somehow, she had gotten coerced into going on a hunting patrol with Bluefur, Adderfang, Tigerpaw, and Thistleclaw. While Firepaw certainly didn't mind spending time with her mentor–and Adderfang wasn't bad company either–Tigerpaw and Thistleclaw managed to turn it into the most unbearable experience she'd ever had to deal with. Ever since they had left the camp, Thistleclaw hadn't stopped talking about his plans to "mark the borders with the blood of their enemies", as he put it. Firepaw was seriously starting to consider asking Goosefeather if there were any herbs he could give the gray and white warrior to get him to stop talking.

_StarClan knows why anyone lets him out of the camp at all, _the young apprentice thought, curling her lip. _He's as mad as a fox that's had its tail bitten off._

The best that could be said about the situation was that Tigerpaw was leaving her alone. Indeed, he had mostly stopped bothering her ever since their nighttime encounter in the forest half a moon ago. He was still as arrogant as ever, but he hadn't tried to follow her out of the camp again.

"Could we stop and hunt for a bit?" Tigerpaw requested. "I haven't eaten anything since yesterday, and I'm starving."

"That sounds like a good idea," Adderfang agreed, glancing at Bluefur. The blue-gray warrior nodded to show that she approved. "We'll wait here. Let's see how much prey you and Firepaw can bring back."

"I can catch more than _her _any day," Tigerpaw snorted. Firepaw rolled her eyes.

Bluefur shook her head tiredly. "Stick close together, you two," she ordered. "And try to be back by sunhigh."

Firepaw glanced up at the sky. The sun was nearing its peak, but it would be a while before it got there. They would have plenty of time to bring back a nice meal for their Clanmates. Nodding a quick farewell to the older warriors, she turned and followed Tigerpaw deeper into the forest.

It didn't take long for her to spot her first catch. A large rabbit was burrowing through some leaves, perhaps searching for a meal of its own. Firepaw dropped into the hunting crouch, careful to keep her pawsteps light as she padded towards her unsuspecting prey, avoiding the twigs and leaves that scattered the forest floor. Once she was a mere two tail-lengths away, she pounced, killing the rabbit with one swift bite to the neck. Feeling triumphant, she sat up, the large rabbit dangling from her jaws.

"Not bad," Tigerpaw called out to her.

Firepaw turned her head to see her denmate with a catch of his own: a fat blackbird. "Er, thanks," she meowed awkwardly. "Looks like you got a pretty good one yourself."

Tigerpaw puffed up his chest proudly. "Of course. Did you expect anything less of a great warrior such as myself?"

_And there's the Tigerpaw we all know and love, _Firepaw thought, rolling her eyes to herself. Out loud, she replied, "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Tigerpaw."

The two apprentices continued along the WindClan border for a short while. During that time, Firepaw managed to catch a squirrel, two mice, and a vole. Tigerpaw, for his part, had acquired two magpies, a starling, and three pigeons. The ginger apprentice was surprised to find that, when he wasn't sulking or insulting her, Tigerpaw actually made for a respectable hunter.

"Tigerpaw?" Firepaw meowed after a few more moments had passed. "It's about sunhigh now. We should probably head back before the patrol comes looking for us."

The dark brown tabby glanced up at the sky. "You're right," he agreed. "Come on, let's collect our prey and get going."

Before they could start their trek back to the patrol, however, a light snapping sound caught their attention. Firepaw swiveled her ears in the direction of the sound, glancing around to see if she could find who or what had made it. As she did so, a familiar stench filled her nostrils. Of course, she had been smelling it for quite some time since she was right next to the border, but this was different. This scent was fresh, and with no breeze in the air, she knew it wasn't coming from the other side of the Thunderpath. She glanced over at Tigerpaw and saw that his eyes were narrowed. He had picked it up as well.

"ShadowClan," the dark tabby hissed. "Come on, let's see what they're up to."

"We should go back and warn the others," Firepaw argued. "We don't know how many cats there are. There might be too many for us to take on alone."

"If you want to run back to the warriors like the pathetic kittypet you are, then feel free," Tigerpaw spat. "I'm going to defend my territory."

Without another word, he took off in the direction of the ShadowClan patrol's scent. Firepaw stared after her denmate, anger pulsating in her belly. Then she shook her head and took off after him. Even if she wasn't fond of him, she wasn't about to let her Clanmate get himself killed by a ShadowClan patrol. Not that she was doing it for him, of course. She just didn't want Leopardfoot to lose her only son.

She caught up with Tigerpaw a few moments later, crouching behind a large yew bush. Two ShadowClan warriors and an apprentice were standing two fox-lengths away. He glanced over at her but didn't say anything, although he motioned with his tail for her to keep quiet. Firepaw rolled her eyes and turned away irritably; she could have figured out that she needed to be quiet without his help.

"Come on, let's confront them before they get any ideas," Tigerpaw whispered.

"Whatever you say," Firepaw whispered back.

Together, the two apprentices stood up from their hiding spot and strode forward to greet the three ShadowClan cats. The patrol turned their heads sharply, their fur bristling at the sight of them. A moment later, however, their fur flattened and their mouths twisted into identical sneers of disdain.

"So, it is true what we've been hearing," a dark brown tabby tom meowed mockingly. "ThunderClan has started taking in outsiders for training."

"Is ThunderClan truly so desperate that they need to resort to the likes of fat, overfed kittypets to strengthen their borders?" a bright ginger molly sneered.

Firepaw clenched her teeth and hissed furiously, "You're one to talk about taking in outsiders. Everyone knows half your Clan is at least half-kittypet." Her belly churned with rage, and she couldn't resist adding, "Besides, is that your apprentice over there or an overgrown rat that wandered into your camp?"

The dark brown tom stared down at her, his amber eyes flashing coldly. "What do you say we teach these two a little lesson about respect?"

"I'll be ready when you are, Raggedpelt," Foxheart meowed, curling her lip to reveal a row of glittering fangs.

"What do you say?" Raggedpelt asked, turning to look at the two ThunderClan apprentices. "We'll give you one last chance to run, and we never have to speak of this again. But if you refuse...well, let's just hope your Clanmates are able to find every piece of you."

Firepaw narrowed her eyes and hissed defiantly as Tigerpaw spat back, "Never!"

"Very well, then," Raggedpelt meowed, his eyes flashing. "ShadowClan, attack!"

* * *

Tigerpaw barely had time to duck out of the way as Foxheart hurled herself at him, her claws outstretched and her teeth bared in a snarl. Before she could turn herself around, he pounced on top of the older warrior, raking his claws across her flank. She let out a howl of fury and bit down on his shoulder. It hurt, but Tigerpaw refused to let up, choosing instead to pummel the bright ginger molly's belly with his hind paws. Screeching in pain and rage, Foxheart struggled free of his grasp, turning tail and fleeing across the border into her own territory.

_One down, _Tigerpaw thought in satisfaction.

Glancing around, he saw that Firepaw was pinning Nightpaw down, her claws scoring again and again over his flank. The ShadowClan apprentice had been training longer than she had, but the former kittypet made for a fierce battler. Her fangs were buried in Nightpaw's shoulder, and she barely seemed to feel the blood dripping down from several wounds across her pelt. Tigerpaw stared in amazement at his denmate as she clawed furiously at Nightpaw.

_This has to be her first battle, but she fights like a seasoned warrior. Has she always been this good? _

At last, Firepaw released the ShadowClan apprentice, sending him staggering across the Thunderpath with a warning nip. She got back to her paws again, shaking herself off. Her green eyes were burning with defiance, and she was breathing heavily. Blood dripped from her fur, staining the ground in little droplets.

Now, there was only Raggedpelt left. The ShadowClan deputy stared between the two apprentices, his teeth still bared and his eyes burning with hatred. Tigerpaw padded over to stand beside Firepaw, blocking Raggedpelt's path to the border. If he wanted to escape, he would have to get through them first. One look at the expression in the ShadowClan warrior's eyes told him that Raggedpelt planned to do exactly that.

"Do you really think you can take on both of us at once?" Firepaw taunted.

"He looks stupid enough to try," Tigerpaw meowed, feeling a surge of energy. Raggedpelt was a seasoned warrior, but he was outnumbered. They could easily take him down.

Raggedpelt narrowed his eyes. Hissing in fury, he leaped at Firepaw, his fangs bared. The flame-colored molly ducked underneath him, scoring her claws over his belly as she passed by. She emerged on the other side, and Tigerpaw took advantage of Raggedpelt's shock to leap onto the older tabby's back. A moment later, however, he found himself being thrown off as Raggedpelt suddenly reared back on his hind legs, sending Tigerpaw flailing through the air. Now free, he turned on Firepaw, slashing her with his long, powerful front claws. Tigerpaw saw the younger apprentice stumble, but she remained upright, sheathing her claws and jabbing her forepaw into Raggedpelt's eye. The ShadowClan deputy stumbled back, screeching in agony and fury.

At once, Tigerpaw saw his chance. While Raggedpelt was still moaning over his injured eye, he pinned the older warrior on the ground, using his back legs to open a gash in his belly. Before Raggedpelt could summon enough strength to form a counterattack, Tigerpaw leaped off of him, going over to stand beside Firepaw. Raggedpelt staggered back to his paws, glaring hatefully at the two apprentices. But even he knew when he was beaten. Hissing, he turned tail and half-fled, half-stumbled across the Thunderpath, narrowly missing getting hit by a monster on his way.

"Firepaw! Tigerpaw!"

Tigerpaw and Firepaw turned around to see the rest of the patrol racing towards them. They were accompanied by Leopardfoot, Rosetail, and Thrushpelt as well now. Almost immediately, Tigerpaw found himself being smothered by his mother as she tried to lick his wounds, while Bluefur inspected Firepaw's injuries, her piercing blue eyes filled with worry.

"What happened here?" Adderfang asked. "I thought I just saw Raggedpelt leaving."

"He was," Firepaw confirmed, wincing as Bluefur accidentally brushed against a wound on her side. "Foxheart and Nightpaw were here too, but we chased them off a while ago."

Bluefur let out a sigh. "When you two didn't come back, we decided to go looking for you. We ran into Rosetail, Thrushpelt, and Leopardfoot when we heard what sounded like fighting. Why didn't you two come back instead of trying to take on the ShadowClan patrol by yourself?"

"I–I thought they would see my fur if we tried to sneak away," Firepaw admitted. "I don't exactly blend in well, and we got pretty close to them."

"And I'm not going to run away from a fight," Tigerpaw retorted defiantly.

"Get off of it, Bluefur," Thistleclaw snapped, speaking up for the first time since the patrol had arrived. "These two managed to fight off a ShadowClan patrol by themselves. We should be praising them, not giving them a lecture on safety."

"This isn't your place to speak, Thistleclaw," Adderfang snapped at his former apprentice.

"I was only–"

"_Enough!_" Bluefur lashed her tail. "Honestly, if I knew that coming here was going to start an argument, I'd have gone to find them alone!"

She turned back to the apprentices, calming down slightly. "We are proud of you for defending ThunderClan's territory," she meowed. "But in the future, you should find backup before you try to take on an entire patrol of experienced warriors. You're both good fighters, but you're still just apprentices."

"I understand," Tigerpaw meowed, with Firepaw echoing his words.

"Good," the blue-furred warrior meowed, helping Firepaw back to her paws. "Come on, we should collect your prey and then have Goosefeather look at your wounds."

The two apprentices nodded and followed the warriors back through the forest, pausing on occasion to pick up the prey they had buried before their encounter with Raggedpelt's patrol. As Bluefur bent her head to pick up Firepaw's rabbit, Tigerpaw glanced over at his denmate. The flame-pelted molly's fur was coated with dried blood, and she had clumps of fur missing from her flank. Her entire pelt was covered in dust as well, and it would definitely take a long wash to get all of it out. But despite the exhaustion dulling her normally bright green eyes, Tigerpaw didn't think she had ever looked more beautiful.


	7. Rose Red

Bluefur sat down next to Rosetail as her friend nudged a vole over towards her, watching as Tigerpaw approached Firepaw. Her apprentice was in the middle of a conversation with Whitepaw, who had been apprenticed to Patchpelt just a few days before. The confidence in Tigerpaw's posture as he tapped the younger apprentice on her shoulder was entirely too familiar to Bluefur, but unlike with Snowfur and Thistleclaw, Firepaw took her time in answering him. They were too far away for Bluefur to make out what was being said, but judging by the expression on Firepaw's face, she wasn't at all impressed.

"Is Tigerpaw trying to talk to Firepaw again?" Rosetail asked, turning her head towards the apprentices.

"Yes, he is," Bluefur confirmed, suppressing a chuckle as Firepaw flicked her tail dismissively and turned her back on Tigerpaw.

Rosetail shook her head. "He's been padding after her ever since the battle with ShadowClan," she meowed. "And that was two moons ago at least. Poor thing, he doesn't seem to be making much progress, does he?"

Bluefur shook her head. It was obvious to anyone who looked that Tigerpaw was fond of the little flame-colored molly. Even Thistleclaw had noticed, although he merely expressed his disgust at his former apprentice for padding after a kittypet. Every single day, the dark tabby apprentice would approach Firepaw with an offer to share a piece of fresh-kill or go hunting together, and every single time, she would refuse. Even so, however, he never let her rejections prevent him from trying again the next day. But Firepaw was just as stubborn as he was, and Bluefur knew that the more Tigerpaw pressed at her, the more determined she would be to refuse him.

"Someone might want to get Tigerpaw away from her," Rosetail commented. "Firepaw looks like she wants to eat him."

Before Bluefur could respond, she was cut off as Firepaw suddenly snarled, "Oh, that's _it! _I have had it up to the stars with you!"

She got up and stormed off towards the gorse tunnel, her flame-colored fur bristling in annoyance. Tigerpaw chased after her, his larger size enabling him to catch up with her in a matter of heartbeats. Bluefur winced to herself; there was no way this was going to end well for him.

"Firepaw, wait! Where are you going?" he asked.

"That's none of your business," Firepaw snapped. Bluefur's view of her apprentice was being blocked by Tigerpaw, but she could imagine the smoldering anger in her green eyes. "I don't have to answer to you. If you think I'm up to no good, then feel free to tell my mentor. She _is_ right behind you."

"I never said that," Tigerpaw stammered, taking a step back. "But...can I come with you? I'm sure I can help with whatever you're doing."

Firepaw let out a long-suffering sigh. "I'm just hunting, Tigerpaw," she meowed irritably. "And I certainly don't need your help. In fact, the only cat around here who needs help is you, but you'll have to talk to Goosefeather or Featherwhisker about that. Now, _if _you don't mind, I'm leaving now. Don't you dare follow me unless you want to be the Clan's next meal."

With that, she turned around and stalked through the gorse tunnel. Tigerpaw stared after her for a few moments before turning around and padding back in the direction of the apprentices' den, looking extremely downcast. Bluefur felt sorry for him, but she knew that he would bounce back in no time. He always did. If nothing else, his pining and Firepaw's subsequent rejections had provided the Clan with a great deal of entertainment.

* * *

Later that evening, Firepaw finally returned to the camp with her jaws full of prey. After checking to make sure that Tigerpaw wasn't anywhere in sight, she padded over to the fresh-kill pile and deposited her load. Once she was done, she went to join Whitepaw, taking a mouse from the pile along with her.

"Hey," the white-furred tom greeted her, his eyes glowing with amusement. "Back from your rage hunt?"

"It wasn't a _rage _hunt," Firepaw muttered, taking a bite out of her mouse. "I don't go on rage hunts. It was a perfectly normal hunt, thank you very much."

"Sure," Whitepaw meowed dismissively, flicking her shoulder with his tail. "Well, I don't think anyone else in the Clan will be complaining. You seem to catch half the forest's worth of prey whenever you get worked up like that."

For a moment, Firepaw considered telling her friend that the reason she hunted so well was that she imagined sinking her claws into Tigerpaw's fur every time she caught a piece of prey. Then she realized how disturbing that sounded, even in her mind. The last thing she wanted was to give Whitepaw nightmares. Deciding to keep silent, she merely flicked her tail and looked away irritably.

"Why do you hate Tigerpaw so much anyway?" Whitepaw asked curiously. "I mean, I know he's arrogant and all, but he's not the worst cat out there."

"I don't _hate _him," Firepaw disagreed. "I'm just sick of him bothering me all the time, that's all. It's been two moons, and he still doesn't want to take a hint. And he's never even asked me _one _question about myself, oh no, it's always 'Firepaw, guess what? I defeated an entire WindClan patrol on my own,' or 'I just caught a mouse that's big enough to feed three Clans,'. I don't need to hear anything more about how he's the greatest gift StarClan has ever bestowed upon the forest. He probably doesn't even like me; he's only interested in making me worship him the way half the Clan seems to."

Whitepaw didn't speak as the flame-pelted molly continued ranting. When she finally paused to take a breath, he meowed, "Well, I don't know if we're talking about the same Tigerpaw, but every time I've spoken to him, he's always going on about how great he thinks you are."

"Probably a different Tigerpaw, then," Firepaw meowed, taking another bite out of her mouse. "You'll have to introduce me to him sometime. I'd sure like to meet this apparent admirer of mine."

It wasn't as though she hated Tigerpaw; in fact, she wouldn't even say she disliked him. He _was _a strong fighter, and he wasn't bad-looking either. But Firepaw was tired of listening to him boast about his accomplishments all the time. She didn't need him to tell her about every single piece of prey he caught or every battle he fought in; she could draw her own conclusions about him herself. However, this was Tigerpaw they were talking about, so it was unlikely that he would ever learn.


	8. Advice

Tigerpaw glanced over at Firepaw as the ginger molly dodged a swipe from Whitepaw, ducking underneath his blow before rearing up to bring her paw crashing down onto his head. There was no question that she was a gifted fighter. Firepaw was on the smaller side–Whitepaw was as big as she was, even though he was a few moons younger–but what she lacked in size, she more than made up for in aggression. No matter what anyone tried, there was nothing that could be done to intimidate her. The former kittypet's fearlessness was what Tigerpaw loved about her the most.

Yet at the same time, she wasn't needlessly violent or cruel. She never did anything to try to hurt Whitepaw, unlike Thistleclaw, who had encouraged Tigerpaw to attack his son before he was even out of the nursery. Even now, although the gray and white warrior hadn't been his mentor for several moons, he still took every opportunity to berate him for being, in his words, "too soft".

"Tigerpaw! Tigerpaw, are you listening to me?"

Blinking, Tigerpaw realized that Leopardfoot was looking at him with a tired, almost exasperated expression on her face. A few paces away, Firepaw was staring at him, clearly irritated about something. He glanced between the two mollies in confusion.

"Er–sorry, what?" he asked sheepishly.

"You're supposed to have a training battle with me now," Firepaw told him. "We've been trying to get your attention, but you were too busy daydreaming."

Tigerpaw felt his face heat up in embarrassment. "Oh, uh, sorry," he mumbled. Firepaw rolled her eyes but chose not to say anything.

Leopardfoot glanced between the two apprentices, then turned to Bluefur and Patchpelt on the other side of the hollow. "Bluefur, Patchpelt, do you mind continuing this training session without me? I want to talk to Tigerpaw alone for a few moments."

"Of course," Bluefur agreed, while Tigerpaw suppressed a groan. As if things couldn't get any worse, he was about to get a private scolding–and from his mother, no less. What was Firepaw going to think of him now?

Feeling utterly defeated, Tigerpaw turned and followed his mother out of the sandy hollow. At the last moment, he glanced back over his shoulder at Firepaw. The flame-colored molly was talking animatedly with Whitepaw, her green eyes sparkling with amusement. He felt a pang at the cheerful expression on her face. She was adorable when she was happy, but he hated the fact that he never got to see that expression directed at him.

Leopardfoot remained silent for quite a while as they padded further away from the training area. Finally, when the two cats had nearly reached Sunningrocks, she turned to him with a serious expression in her eyes.

"Alright," she meowed firmly. "What's going on with you? Ever since you and Firepaw battled that ShadowClan patrol, you've been completely distracted. I have to shout multiple times to get your attention, and whenever I ask you a question, you give me the wrong answer even when you should already know the correct one. Do you still want to become a warrior?"

"Of course!" Tigerpaw exclaimed, shocked that Leopardfoot would even consider such a thing. He couldn't imagine not becoming a warrior. Not that there was anything wrong with cats who chose not to pursue that path, but he had dreamed of becoming the strongest warrior in the forest ever since Pinestar had left to become a kittypet.

"Then what's the matter?" Leopardfoot asked.

A thousand lies and excuses ran through Tigerpaw's mind. But when he saw the concerned look on his mother's face, they vanished instantly. She knew him too well; there was no way that he would be able to fool her. No matter what he tried, she would see right through him.

"I really like Firepaw," he confessed. "She's...amazing, and I want to be with her–I mean, once we become warriors. But she doesn't like me at all. Whenever I try to talk to her, she always yells at me or finds some excuse to get away from me. And I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I want her to like me too, but I don't know how to get her to change her mind."

His mother let out a sigh. "Tigerpaw, I know this may be hard to hear, but sometimes there's nothing you can do to get someone to like you. If Firepaw doesn't feel the same way, there's nothing you can do to change her mind. At the end of the day, it's up to her to decide who she wants to be with."

"I _know_, Leopardfoot," Tigerpaw protested. "I would never try to _force _her to be with me. I just don't understand why she acts as if she hates me. I'm strong, and...well, all things considered, I haven't really been _that _awful to her, have I?"

"Well, perhaps strength isn't what Firepaw is looking for in a mate," the black-furred queen suggested. "There's more to life than strength or skill in battle, Tigerpaw. And have you actually tried being nice to her? Tell me, what do you talk about when you try to have a conversation with her?"

Tigerpaw thought for a few heartbeats, trying to recall all the conversations he'd had with Firepaw over the past two moons. He remembered running up to her eagerly, ready to tell her all about the prey he had caught or the border skirmish he had helped fight in. Every single time, all he had wanted to do was impress her. But she didn't see it that way. In her mind, all he was doing was being arrogant and stuck up.

"I...I mean, I usually just talk about something I did," he meowed at last. "If I catch a big piece of prey, I'll tell her about that. Or if I happen to help drive off an enemy patrol, I'll talk to her about that too. And...that's pretty much it."

"Well, there's your problem right there," Leopardfoot replied simply.

Tigerpaw stared blankly at his mother. "What do you mean?"

"Tigerpaw, if you want someone to like you, then you can't _only _talk about yourself," she told him. "Firepaw doesn't need you to tell her about every single accomplishment you make; she can form her own judgments for herself. Try having a real conversation with her–ask her questions about herself, get to know her. It doesn't matter what it's about; you can ask her what her favorite piece of fresh-kill is if you want. But you can't make every single thing about yourself if you want to have any chance of her warming up to you."

_I should...talk about her? _

"But...then how am I supposed to impress her?" he asked.

"Don't try to impress her. That's how cats make fools of themselves," Leopardfoot meowed. "Just do what you're supposed to be doing. Train as hard as you can to become the best warrior for your Clan that you can be. Let _her _take notice of you on her own without forcing everything you do in her face. And whatever you do, if she tells you to leave her alone, then leave her alone. The fastest way to lose a molly's respect is to behave as though you don't respect her wants or needs."

Tigerpaw thought for a few moments. His mother's idea seemed so far-fetched; why would Firepaw ever take notice of him when she seemed determined to pretend he didn't exist? But at the same time, it wasn't as though he had many other options at this point. Maybe Leopardfoot had a point–maybe he had been going about things the wrong way this whole time.

At any rate, if it got Firepaw to change her mind about him, it would be well worth it in the end.

"Alright," he agreed finally. "I'll try."

* * *

**Tigerpaw's finally learning his lesson! It's going to take time, but he's going to try to improve himself for Firepaw. Good boy :) **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**Guest: Thank you! I get pretty busy with school, but I do my best to get consistent updates. **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Tigerpaw's biggest problem is that he's grown up receiving constant praise from his Clanmates. He was the weakest of Leopardfoot's litter, so everyone feels a bit of a soft spot for him, and the fact that his siblings both died only strengthens that. The fact that he was originally apprenticed to someone who at least used to be a highly respected warrior increased the Clan's favor of Tigerpaw as well. So his ego is definitely bigger than it should be, but he's young enough that he can still change. **

**Mistress1296: Lol, yes. Fortunately, there aren't too many other toms within Firepaw's age range except for Whitepaw, but he's more like a younger brother to her. **

**Person: If there's one thing you can say about Firepaw, it's that she definitely doesn't mince words. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	9. The First Gathering

The following day, Firepaw, Tigerpaw, and Whitepaw were sent on a morning hunting mission. Their job, their mentors told them, was to bring back as much fresh-kill for the Clan by sunhigh as possible. With the approaching cold season on everyone's minds, the entire Clan was taking extra care to ensure that their fresh-kill pile was well stocked.

"But it won't be leaf-bare for another few moons," Whitepaw pointed out.

"Perhaps not, but we can't afford to be caught off guard," Patchpelt meowed. "With leaf-bare comes the threat of greencough, and we've lost several warriors to it in the past. The more we can do to reduce casualties, the better."

"Where should we go?" Firepaw asked.

"Anywhere you want. Just make sure to bring back as much prey as you can," Bluefur told her.

Firepaw waited for Tigerpaw to make some sort of remark about how he would be sure to catch more prey than her and Whitepaw combined, but to her surprise, the dark tabby remained silent. She wondered what had gotten into him, then shrugged it off and followed her denmates through the gorse tunnel. There was prey to be caught; Tigerpaw's strange behavior could wait until later.

Together, the three apprentices padded through the forest, each of them staying alert for any sign of wildlife. After a few moments, Firepaw spotted a mouse lurking in some bushes out of the corner of her eye. Dropping into the hunting crouch, she stalked towards it, making sure to keep her pawsteps light. At the last second, the mouse seemed to realize that something was amiss, but it was too late. The flame-pelted apprentice pounced, killing her prey with one swift bite.

"Nice one!" Tigerpaw and Whitepaw called out to her.

"Thanks, you two," Firepaw purred. "Just give me a moment to bury this and then we can get going again."

Setting her mouse down, she scraped a bit of dirt over it to protect it from any other wild animals. Once she was finished, she stood up and went to rejoin her denmates.

"Okay," she meowed. "I'm ready to go now."

They continued on their way for several more moments. Firepaw managed to catch a starling, three more mice, and a thrush. Tigerpaw caught a rabbit, two squirrels, a pigeon, and three blackbirds. Whitepaw caught two mice and a vole. However, when stalking a robin, he accidentally stepped on a twig. The resulting snap alerted the bird to his presence, sending it flying high into a nearby tree. Whitepaw turned to his denmates, clearly dejected.

"Sorry, guys," he meowed apologetically.

"Don't feel bad," Tigerpaw meowed gently. Firepaw was surprised at how sympathetic he was being. "We've all made that mistake before. You'll get the next one, don't worry."

"I guess," Whitepaw answered, staring down at his paws. "It's just that hunting in front of you two makes me nervous. I don't want to look as if I can't keep up with you guys."

"It doesn't matter if you can't keep up yet. You only just began your training," Firepaw pointed out. "But if it really makes you that nervous, maybe it would be best if we let you hunt on your own for a bit. We could probably catch more prey for the Clan that way than if we all stuck together in one group."

Her friend perked up immediately. "That sounds great," he meowed, nodding. Turning around, he raced off in the direction of Fourtrees, yowling, "I'll bet I can catch more prey than you two!"

Firepaw chuckled as she watched Whitepaw disappear from view. Once he was gone, however, she realized that she had just gotten herself into one of her worst nightmares. With Whitepaw on his own, she was left on a dual hunting mission with _Tigerpaw _of all cats. One look at the expression on Tigerpaw's face told her the dark tabby was well aware of how awkward the situation was as well.

"So..." Tigerpaw meowed slowly, looking as though he half-expected her to eat him alive right then and there. "Should–should we get going?"

Immediately, Firepaw wanted to refuse and run away as she had every other time Tigerpaw invited her to do something with him. After all, it wasn't as though she _had _to hunt with him just because they had originally been in a group. Her sanity would probably thank her later if she chose to refuse his invitation.

Then again, it wasn't as though Tigerpaw had been completely horrible that morning. Indeed, she would almost go as far as to say he had been rather pleasant. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to finish this one mission with him. There were no rules in the warrior code that said she had to hunt with him again if things didn't go well.

"Sure," she agreed finally.

Tigerpaw's eyes lit up. "Great!" he meowed happily. "Want to head towards Sunningrocks, then? There's bound to be a good amount of prey over that way."

Firepaw nodded, and together, the two apprentices headed off in the direction of the ever-fought over Sunningrocks. They remained mostly silent for a while, only speaking to praise the other for a good catch or to ask about the time. The young molly caught her denmate glancing over at her several times, but he never said a word. Finally, after the fourth or fifth incident, she decided to speak up.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, er, not really," Tigerpaw meowed, looking rather embarrassed. "This is just a bit more awkward than I expected. I've been wanting the chance to talk to you alone for moons, but now that it's happening, I don't know what to say."

"Is that all?" Firepaw asked, chuckling. "Never thought you would be the nervous type, Tigerpaw."

Tigerpaw looked away, but not before Firepaw heard him mutter, "It's only you that's making me nervous."

Pretending not to hear him, she meowed, "You know, if there's something you wanted to ask me, you could just come right out and say so."

"I–I guess," the older apprentice agreed. "Well, uh...what's your favorite piece of fresh-kill?"

"Rabbit," Firepaw replied promptly. "But then again, everything tastes amazing when you've only ever eaten kittypet food your entire life. I'm pretty sure the Twolegs just collect dried rabbit droppings and call them food, but I've yet to find any solid proof of that."

"You're probably not wrong," Tigerpaw meowed, laughing.

"What about you?" she asked. If he was going to be polite and ask her questions about herself, the least she could do was return the favor. "What's your favorite prey?"

Tigerpaw thought for a few moments, then answered, "Squirrels, probably, or maybe pigeons. Both of them are pretty good."

They continued their small talk as they made their way towards Sunningrocks, pausing whenever one of them came across a potential catch. The longer they talked, the more Firepaw was surprised to find that she was actually enjoying Tigerpaw's company. When he wasn't bragging about every accomplishment he had ever made, he was actually a decent cat to be around.

It was nearly sunhigh by the time Firepaw and Tigerpaw reached Sunningrocks. If they were quick, they would be able to catch a few more pieces of fresh-kill before they had to head home. She turned to Tigerpaw to suggest that they hurry up, only to find that her denmate was tasting the air, his eyes narrowed.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"RiverClan scent," Tigerpaw growled.

"It is Sunningrocks," Firepaw pointed out.

Tigerpaw shook his head. "No, this is fresh scent and it's on our side. There's a RiverClan cat here on our territory. Come on, I want to find out who it is."

Now that she was sniffing the air for herself, Firepaw realized that he was right. There was the scent of a RiverClan warrior coming from somewhere, but she had been too distracted to notice it before. Cursing herself for her carelessness, she followed Tigerpaw over the rocks, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of the trespasser.

A moment later, she spotted him. Down near the river, there was a large dark reddish-brown tom. He was stretched out along the edge of the river, the sun illuminating his fur. It was a bit difficult to tell from her angle, but from what Firepaw could see, it looked as though the warrior was asleep.

In a flash, she and Tigerpaw were racing down the slope to confront the warrior. As they drew closer, Firepaw realized that he wasn't asleep after all. He sat up slowly, licking his forepaw and drawing it over his face. She felt a surge of fury; how dare this arrogant excuse for a cat bathe on _her _territory? If he thought he was going to get away with this, he had another think coming.

"Hey, there," the RiverClan warrior meowed calmly, as though he hadn't just been caught trespassing on enemy territory.

Tigerpaw raised his hackles. "What are you doing here?" he spat. "This is our land!"

"Relax, I'm not here to steal any prey," the older tom meowed. "I just felt like sunning myself for a while, and your rocks are perfect for that. My name's Oakheart, by the way."

"No one gives a rat's tail what your name is," Firepaw snapped. "And we're not going to repeat ourselves again. You're on ThunderClan territory; you don't belong here. Now, do you want to do this the easy way or the way where we claw your fur off and feed you to the fish?"

"Alright, alright, you made your point," Oakheart meowed, getting back to his paws. He turned around and climbed into the river, swimming across to the opposite bank. "I'll see you around another time," he called over his shoulder.

"What a dream come true," Firepaw muttered, turning around and walking off. "Come on, let's get back to the camp."

Together, she and Tigerpaw made their way back to the ThunderClan camp, pausing along the way to gather the prey they had caught. By the time they had arrived home, Firepaw's bad mood had vanished completely. They had assembled enough prey to feed the entire Clan several times over. Hopefully, their mentors would be pleased with what they had managed to gather.

When they padded through the gorse tunnel, Whitepaw was already waiting for them inside. The white tom bounded up to them, his eyes widening when he saw how much prey they had caught.

"Wow," he meowed in amazement. "Did you guys really catch all that?"

"I guess," Firepaw meowed around the prey clutched in her jaws.

"Well done, you two," Bluefur meowed, striding up to them with Smallear following her. "Take your prey to the fresh-kill pile and then you can both have something to eat. Don't worry about going out again today. Sunstar told us to let you know that you'll both be attending tonight's Gathering."

Firepaw felt a rush of excitement. She was going to attend her first Gathering! At last, she would finally get to meet more cats from the other Clans–and hopefully ones that were a shade more tolerable than the ones she already knew. Meowing a quick thanks to her mentor, she raced over to the fresh-kill pile and deposited her load. Breathing a sigh of relief, she picked up a small mouse and carried it over to the mossy stump where the apprentices shared their meals.

"Can you believe that?" Tigerpaw asked, sitting down beside her a few moments later. Normally, Firepaw would have told him to go away, but she was in too good of a mood to be bothered. "We get to go to the Gathering!"

"I know," she purred.

"You'll love it there," her denmate told her. "You'll meet lots of great warriors from all the Clans, and you'll get to see the other Clan leaders."

Firepaw nodded, then asked, "But why isn't Whitepaw going? He did well today too."

"He's probably still too young," Tigerpaw meowed. "Most apprentices have to wait for a few moons before they're allowed to go to their first Gathering. There are a few special circumstances, of course, but those are usually pretty rare. Besides, it's safer to keep the newer apprentices home."

"Safer? But I thought there was a truce," Firepaw meowed, puzzled.

"There is, but it doesn't take much for cats to forget about it," Tigerpaw answered. "The elders have told many stories about fights breaking out during Gatherings. Most of the time, StarClan sends clouds to cover the moon before things can escalate too far, but warriors have still been hurt before. Many seasons ago, an old leader of ShadowClan named Ripplestar was killed by StarClan when he led his warriors to attack the other Clans during the full moon."

Somehow, Firepaw wasn't surprised to hear that a ShadowClan leader had tried to attack the other Clans during a time of peace. They certainly hadn't earned their reputation for being cunning and immoral for nothing.

With a start, she realized that she might see Raggedpelt, Foxheart, and Nightpaw at the Gathering tonight. She felt a pang of apprehension; what would they do if they saw her? Then she shook her head. No matter what they tried, she couldn't afford to look as though she were afraid of them. She was a ThunderClan cat, for StarClan's sake; she wasn't about to be scared of a few ShadowClan cowards.

All in all, though, it looked as though it was going to be one unforgettable night.

* * *

Later that evening, Firepaw and Tigerpaw bade Whitepaw goodbye as they followed the Gathering patrol through the gorse tunnel. Bluefur had been chosen to attend as well, as had Smallear, Patchpelt, Adderfang, Thrushpelt, Dappletail, Mumblefoot, Goosefeather, and Featherwhisker. Firepaw brought up the rear with Tigerpaw, glancing up at the darkening sky. There were no clouds to be seen. Hopefully, that was a good sign for the Clans.

When they arrived at Fourtrees, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and WindClan were already there. Firepaw glanced around the clearing at the throng of cats surrounding her. She didn't recognize any of them, and for a moment, she felt a pang of uncertainty. What was she supposed to say if anyone came and talked to her?

"Relax," Tigerpaw murmured from beside her. "You'll be just fine. Just be civil, don't give away too much about your Clan, and everything will be okay."

"Thanks, Tigerpaw," Firepaw meowed quietly.

"Well, well. So it _is _true what they've been saying," a sneering voice meowed. "ThunderClan took in a kittypet for training."

At once, Firepaw's nervousness vanished and was replaced with anger. "Excuse me?" she asked rudely, turning to the newcomer. It was Hawkheart, the WindClan medicine cat. "Who do you think you are?"

"_I'm _a Clanborn warrior," Hawkheart meowed coolly. "I belong here. You don't. What was ThunderClan thinking, taking in the likes of you? Are they truly that desperate?"

Tigerpaw raised his hackles. "ThunderClan is not desperate!"

"No? Well, you could have fooled me," the WindClan medicine cat replied smoothly.

Firepaw let out a sigh. "You know what, at the end of the day, thinking that my Clan is desperate for taking me in, that's just you being a typical WindClan cat," she meowed sharply. "I'm not even sure why you're so concerned about it; you have problems in your own Clan that you should be thinking about instead. Maybe try focusing on those instead of getting worked up over matters that don't affect you whatsoever. Anyway, I'll be here long after tonight, and you'll probably be joining the elders soon or dying of cold, judging by the looks of you. Regardless, I'm just getting started on my way to becoming a warrior and your time is finished."

With that, she turned around and walked away with Tigerpaw close behind her. She didn't stop until she was several fox-lengths away from Hawkheart, taking a seat and turning her attention to the Great Rock. Fortunately, the WindClan tom chose to leave her alone, and Firepaw saw him walking over to sit with the rest of the medicine cats out of the corner of her eye.

"That was great," Tigerpaw meowed, laughing. "You really showed him."

"He deserved it," Firepaw meowed curtly. "He doesn't get to talk about me just because he thinks he's StarClan's gift to the forest. I'm glad we have Goosefeather and Featherwhisker in our Clan. I think if I had to let Hawkheart treat me, I'd rather die instead."

A yowl sounded from the top of the Great Rock, interrupting their conversation. Firepaw looked up to see a molly with pinkish-gray fur standing at the edge of the Great Rock. She recognized her from the elders' stories; it was the leader of WindClan, Heatherstar.

"Cats of all Clans, welcome," Heatherstar meowed. "Tonight, we gather under the full moon for a night of peace and harmony. Cedarstar has informed me that he would like to speak first."

For the rest of the night, Firepaw listened as the Clan leaders shared various bits of news. Most of it wasn't particularly interesting, so she found herself growing distracted on multiple occasions. At one point, she spotted Foxheart glaring at her from a few tail-lengths away. Firepaw rolled her eyes and turned her head back towards the leaders. If Foxheart was going to let herself get worked up over her, that wasn't her problem.

At last, the meeting was called to an end and it was time for the cats to head back to their respective territories. Firepaw stood up and yawned, following her Clanmates back through the forest. It had been a long night, and she was looking forward to getting some sleep when they arrived back at the camp.


	10. Family Troubles

Firepaw shook the bundle of moss hooked onto her claw, shivering as the wind chilled her fur. A few tail-lengths away, Tigerpaw was scraping dirt over a mouse he had just caught. His bigger frame and longer fur enabled him to withstand the cold, but Firepaw felt as though her limbs would freeze off at any moment. Needless to say, she was looking forward to getting back to the camp so she could warm up in her nest.

A quarter moon had passed since the Gathering, bringing the dreaded leaf-bare season. With the beginning of the cold weather came several other hardships as well. Two days ago, ThunderClan had lost Sunningrocks to RiverClan. Their water-loving neighbors had staged an attack in the middle of the night, and despite the efforts of Thistleclaw, Speckletail, and Lionheart, they had been outnumbered and outmatched. Mumblefoot and Weedwhisker had both fallen ill with fevers, and Tawnyspots had started complaining of a persistent bellyache.

The flame-pelted molly glanced over the fence that cut off the forest from Twolegplace, letting out a small sigh. She would never dream of going back there, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little envious of their easygoing lifestyle. They didn't have to worry about their territory being stolen or potentially going hungry; they had everything they could possibly want or need. Briefly, Firepaw wondered what her littermates were doing at that moment. If she knew them, they were probably curled up in their baskets, enjoying the warmth of a fireplace.

"Are you alright?" Tigerpaw asked, walking over to her.

Firepaw shook herself off. "I'm fine," she replied, tearing her gaze away from the border. "Just thinking, that's all."

"About your family?" the dark tabby guessed.

"Sort of," Firepaw answered, flicking her tail. "It's been a while since I've seen any of them, and I guess I was just wondering what they were up to."

"Do you miss them?" Tigerpaw asked curiously.

"Great StarClan, no," Firepaw exclaimed. If there was one thing she definitely didn't miss about Twolegplace, it was her family. Well, she missed Quince, but she was dead. She had never known her father, and she couldn't care less about Socks and Ruby, who had bullied her ever since they were kits. "I would never miss _those _cats. Especially not Socks and Ruby."

Tigerpaw nodded, then meowed, "You know, I've known you for almost three moons, but I still haven't heard much about your family except for everything that happened between you and your littermates." He paused for a moment, looking as though he were unsure what to say next.

Firepaw nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"Well...I was just wondering, why did they treat you the way they did?" he finished.

"Honestly, I don't know," Firepaw admitted. It was a question she'd been asking herself for moons. "They've always had something against me, but I never figured out what it was. Maybe it was the fact that I never liked to play their games, maybe it had something to do with my interest in the forest. Most of the kittypets in Twolegplace hate forest cats because they think they're savage, heartless, and unfeeling. Socks and Ruby...weren't exactly an exception."

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" Tigerpaw asked anxiously. Firepaw wondered why he cared so much. It wasn't as though it was his problem, was it?

"No," she answered honestly. "Well, not physically at least. But they made sure to mock me at every opportunity, calling me a freak for being interested in the forest and saying that I was just as savage and heartless as a wild cat. My mother usually tried to put a stop to it, but they would be right back at it as soon as her back was turned."

"I'm sorry," Tigerpaw meowed softly.

Firepaw twitched her ear. "It doesn't matter. I'm probably never going to see either of them again anyway," she meowed indifferently. "Anyway, what about your family? I don't think you've talked much about them either. I mean, I know Leopardfoot's your mother, but what about your father or your brothers and sisters?"

At the question, Tigerpaw's gaze darkened and he looked away. He remained silent for several heartbeats as he stared at his paws, his expression full of pain and resentment.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Firepaw backtracked hastily. "Don't worry about it, you don't have to tell me anything."

"No, it's alright," he spoke up. "It's not your fault. I didn't really know my sisters, but that's because they died when we were still less than a moon old. And my father, well...he left to become a kittypet when I was young as well."

"Why?" Firepaw asked, shocked. Judging by the way her Clanmates talked about kittypets, she couldn't imagine any of them wanting to leave ThunderClan in favor of that lifestyle.

Tigerpaw shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "He _said _it was because he wanted to spend his final life in peace, but I doubt that's the real reason. I mean, he could have just retired to the elders' den if he wanted to relax. But he chose to abandon his Clan instead. And, well–I mean, I don't have any proof of this–but I've always kind of thought that there was someone else, you know? That perhaps the reason he left was that he had another mate and kits in Twolegplace, and he wanted to be with them more than with Leopardfoot and me."

Firepaw felt a pang of sympathy. Her father had left her as well, but she had never known him to begin with, so his absence didn't bother her. But Tigerpaw was clearly still hurt by his father's abandonment. She had to admit that his theory of his father having another family made sense, even as awful as it sounded. Without thinking, Firepaw licked his shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm so sorry," she meowed softly.

"It's alright," Tigerpaw murmured. "Come on, we should probably head back to the camp."

The two apprentices gathered up their prey and moss before heading back in the direction of the ThunderClan camp. Along the way, Tigerpaw kept bumping into Firepaw, brushing his pelt against hers at seemingly every turn. It was happening a bit too often to be entirely accidental, but she decided not to say anything. Tigerpaw's strange behavior towards her was something she didn't feel like working out at the moment.

Over the past quarter moon, she had gotten to know him better than she had ever expected. Their relationship had improved to the point where Firepaw was almost willing to consider Tigerpaw her friend. However, she couldn't help but feel as though he wanted something else from her, and it frustrated her to no end since she had no idea what that could be or if her assumptions were even right.

* * *

**Firepaw is still an oblivious idiot. But at least they're friends now, even if it's not what Tigerpaw wants. **

**It's 02:00 so I'm a bit too tired to respond to any reviews, but thank you to everyone who left one! **

**As always, thanks for reading. **

**TheShadowedWarrior**


	11. Greencough

A few days later, Tigerpaw awoke to the sound of coughing coming from somewhere to his left. Yawning, he turned his head to see the smaller form of Firepaw convulsing as she coughed and gasped for air, breathing heavily as though she were overheated. Her eyes were closed, but they were shut too tightly for her to have been asleep, and her expression was contorted with pain.

In a flash, Tigerpaw was out of his nest and rushing across the camp to the medicine den. He didn't know what was wrong with Firepaw, but he knew that she needed Goosefeather and Featherwhisker's help. Tigerpaw shoved his way into the medicine clearing, where the two medicine cats were already sorting herbs. They looked up as he entered, clearly startled by his sudden appearance.

"Tigerpaw?" Featherwhisker asked in concern. "What's the matter?"

"There's something wrong with Firepaw," Tigerpaw meowed urgently. "I think she might be sick. I just woke up, and I heard her coughing."

Goosefeather nodded and raced back across the camp to the apprentices' den with Featherwhisker following close behind. Tigerpaw bounded after them, his heart beating rapidly against his chest. He tried to calm himself down, telling himself that this was Firepaw, the strongest cat he knew. She could pull through anything; she would be just fine. But then he remembered how weak she had seemed, and his fear increased tenfold. If he lost her, he didn't know what he would do.

When he arrived back at the apprentices' den, Goosefeather was already examining Firepaw. There was a grim look on the old gray tom's face, and Tigerpaw felt his heart sink. Whatever was going on with the pretty ginger molly, he knew it wasn't good news.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked worriedly.

Goosefeather closed his eyes. "She has greencough," he replied grimly. "Featherwhisker, help me take her back to my den. I have some catmint I can give Firepaw to help her cough. Someone will need to let Bluefur know that she won't be able to train for at least a few days."

Tigerpaw stood frozen as the two medicine cats lifted Firepaw up and carried her to their den. He could hear Whitepaw stirring in his nest as the younger apprentice woke up, but he didn't pay him any mind. Firepaw had greencough. She had greencough, and from what he knew of that illness, she could very well be on her way to StarClan. Without thinking, he rushed after Goosefeather and Featherwhisker, barging into the fern-covered clearing and running over to Firepaw. The flame-colored molly blinked tiredly at the sight of him, then went into yet another coughing fit.

"What do you think you're doing?" Goosefeather snapped at him. "Have you gone completely mouse-brained? In case you didn't realize, Firepaw is contagious right now! Do you want to get infected as well?"

"I don't care!" Tigerpaw snapped back. He knew he was being rude, but he couldn't be bothered with decorum at the moment. "I'm not going to leave her."

"I know you're worried about her," Featherwhisker meowed, a bit more kindly than his mentor. "But we can't risk both of you getting sick. The last thing we want is for Firepaw's illness to spread to the rest of the Clan."

Tigerpaw shook his head. "But–"

"Tigerpaw." At the sound of the weak, raspy voice, he turned his head to Firepaw. His denmate was looking at him with pleading green eyes. "Just do as they say, please. I'll be _fine. _Goosefeather and Featherwhisker will take care of me; they won't let me die."

His first instinct was to refuse. Why would he leave her when she was obviously in pain? If he was going to lose her, he wanted to be there when it happened. But when Tigerpaw met Firepaw's gaze, he found that he couldn't say no to her.

"Alright," he agreed reluctantly.

"Thank you," Firepaw murmured before breaking into another coughing episode. When she was able to speak again, she rasped, "Just–do me one favor, will you? Tell Bluefur what's happened."

Tigerpaw nodded and walked out of the medicine den, casting one last look over his shoulder at the flame-colored apprentice as he padded through the fern-covered clearing. Of course, he knew that Goosefeather and Featherwhisker wouldn't rest until she had been cured. Seeing how weak she appeared, however, made it difficult to feel optimistic.

Bluefur was already awake and sharing a vole with Rosetail when Tigerpaw emerged from the medicine den. She looked up as he approached, her blue eyes questioning when she saw the bleak expression on his face.

"What's happened?" the blue-gray molly asked.

"Firepaw won't be able to train for a while," Tigerpaw reported.

Bluefur's eyes widened in alarm. "Why not?"

"She has greencough," he told her weakly. "I think it must have come down sometime last night because I woke up to her coughing. Goosefeather and Featherwhisker are treating her now, but they don't want any visitors since they want to keep it from spreading."

The blue-gray warrior let out a sigh. "Thank you, Tigerpaw," she murmured, her eyes downcast and sad. "Leopardfoot should be awake shortly, and then she'll take you out. We were supposed to join you for training today, but it looks as if that won't be happening. Will you let her know that I'll be staying here to make sure that Firepaw is alright?"

"Okay," Tigerpaw agreed, nodding.

"I'll tell Sunstar not to put you on any patrols today," Rosetail meowed, getting to her paws. Bluefur nodded gratefully, and the ginger-tailed warrior bounded over to Sunstar's den beneath the Highrock.

Tigerpaw padded over to the fresh-kill pile but changed his mind at the last second and veered away. After everything that had happened so far that morning, he wasn't feeling particularly hungry. Indeed, he wasn't sure whether he would feel hungry ever again, or at least not until Firepaw recovered from her illness. Why couldn't he have gotten sick instead of her? Better yet, why couldn't Thistleclaw have gotten sick instead of her? It wasn't fair that the most amazing cat in the entire forest was lying in the medicine den, coughing and twitching in pain while cats who deserved far worse were still perfectly happy and healthy.

Well, he supposed that Thistleclaw couldn't exactly be described as _happy_, but he was certainly healthy at the very least.

What if Firepaw _did _end up dying from greencough? Tigerpaw didn't know what he would do then. He wasn't foolish enough to think that he couldn't live without her–he knew that in the end, he would be able to move on. Everyone got over things at some point. But the thought of not being able to see her bright green eyes or hear her voice as she delivered another sassy, clever remark hit him like a punch in the gut.

He shook his head in despair. Of course, he knew that life wasn't fair. That fact had been proven to him long ago when Pinestar left him and Leopardfoot to become a kittypet. Yet Tigerpaw couldn't help feeling as though, for once at least, he deserved to have a little good fortune.

* * *

**Poor Tigerpaw. Don't worry, she's going to be fine. She has to, after all, if she's going to get together with you :). **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**Person: Slowly but surely, lol! Yep, Socks and Ruby are still assholes. Oh well, Firepaw's happy in her new home anyway. **

**Pandere: Firepaw has been taking lessons on how to recognize when someone is into you from Ash Ketchum of the Pokemon anime. It's going about as well as you would expect. **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Cloudkit wasn't one of Socks or Ruby's kits, so it's possible that he might exist. However, I don't know if I'll end up going that far down the timeline. It remains to be seen. And believe me, Tigerpaw does get teased quite a bit over his little crush. I just haven't found a way to write it in yet. But at this point, yeah, pretty much everyone except Firepaw knows he's in love with her. **

**avacat123: Obliviousness: the one constant about Firepaw in any alternate universe. Tigerpaw will probably have to tell her outright that he loves her for her to get the message. Well, either that or someone else will have to tell her for him. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	12. The White Queen

When Firepaw opened her eyes next, she was lying in a warm, sunny field with star-like particles scattered around her. Confused, she climbed to her paws and looked around at her surroundings. As she did so, however, she only became increasingly bewildered. There was something oddly comforting, almost _familiar_, about this place, but she was certain that she had never come across this particular field anywhere in ThunderClan territory.

"Hello there, little one," a soft voice purred. "I've been waiting a long time to meet you."

Firepaw spun around to see a large white molly with gray-tipped ears about the same size as Bluefur walking towards her. The newcomer's eyes were the exact same shape and color as her mentor's as well, and her pelt sparkled with starlight. She stared in confusion. There was definitely ThunderClan scent on this cat, but Firepaw had never seen her before.

"Who–who are you?" she asked hesitantly.

"My name is Snowfur," the white-furred molly introduced herself. "I was once a warrior of ThunderClan myself until I was killed on the Thunderpath chasing off a ShadowClan patrol."

Firepaw nodded, then paused as everything that Snowfur had said finally sank in. "Wait, so...does that mean you're dead?"

Snowfur nodded.

"Then...I'm dead too?" Firepaw guessed.

Snowfur shook her head. "No," she meowed gently. "You're still very much alive. But your body has been weakened severely by greencough, so you're sort of in an in-between state right now. You'll be able to wake up once you've recovered some of your strength."

Firepaw let out a sigh. She didn't particularly like the idea of having to stay in this unfamiliar territory, but it didn't seem as though she had much choice. On the bright side, at least it was better than being stuck in ShadowClan territory. Not that she had any idea what it was like there, of course, but she could guess that it was less than pleasant.

"Are you and Bluefur related?" Firepaw asked curiously, deciding that it would be best to find some way to pass the time. "You look kind of like her except for your pelt color."

"We are, indeed. Very clever," Snowfur purred. "Bluefur was–is–my sister. Stormtail is our father and our mother, Moonflower, is here in StarClan as well. She wasn't able to come to meet you today, but she'll be here when it's your turn to join our ranks for good. And you already know my son, Whitepaw."

The flame-colored molly purred at the mention of her friend. "He's great," she meowed enthusiastically. "Lots of fun and already a really good fighter."

"I'm glad to hear it," Snowfur meowed softly. "I worried that, after I died, his father would have too much of an influence on him. But I'm glad that Bluefur and Smallear have done such a good job of training him."

"His father?" Firepaw echoed, puzzled. Then she remembered the familiar shape and color of Whitepaw's eyes, the frame that hinted to the large build he would have one day, and most importantly, the strange remark by Goosefeather on her first day in ThunderClan. "You don't mean...not _Thistleclaw_?"

Her white-furred companion nodded. "We were close as apprentices, but of course, we weren't allowed to become mates then, so we waited until we had earned our warrior names," she told Firepaw. "Thistleclaw was arrogant, _extremely _arrogant, even before he left the nursery. But that was what I liked about him–the confidence that he was the best, although Bluefur didn't see it that way. I had Whitepaw a few moons after we became mates, and Thistleclaw looked so proud when he saw his son for the first time. For a while, I thought we were going to have a family together. But then..."

She trailed off and Firepaw prompted, "But then, what?"

Snowfur let out a sigh. "But then I died," she went on. "And Thistleclaw changed. Or perhaps I was just finally able to see what sort of cat he really was, I don't really know myself. But either way, he wasn't the same cat I fell in love with. He was cruel, violent, and bloodthirsty, with a grudge against Bluefur that he refused to let go of. They had never gotten along–which I'm sure you already know–but it became worse after my death."

"I'm sorry," Firepaw meowed sympathetically.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Snowfur replied. "Thistleclaw will face his judgment in time. But for now, it's time for you to wake up. Your body has mostly recovered, although you should stay in the medicine den for another day or so before you return to your own nest. It was a pleasure meeting you, Firepaw."

Firepaw opened her mouth to respond, but Snowfur was already gone. The strange meadow vanished before her eyes and was replaced by the familiar sights and smells of the ThunderClan medicine den. She yawned and stretched slightly, sitting up in her makeshift nest and drawing her forepaw over her face. Her body still felt a little weaker than usual, but she had to admit she was feeling much better. At the very least, she could breathe without coughing every other heartbeat again.

"Welcome back, Firepaw," Featherwhisker meowed, stepping out from the back of the medicine store with a bundle of herbs in his jaws. "You've been out for quite a while. It's good to see you awake again."

"Thanks, Featherwhisker," Firepaw yawned. "How long have I been asleep for anyway?"

"About three days now," the medicine cat apprentice answered. "I daresay Tigerpaw will be happy to see you awake. He should be on his way to visit soon; he's been here every day since you fell ill."

As if on cue, at that moment, the ferns rustled and Tigerpaw emerged with a squirrel clutched in his jaws. He scanned the medicine den, freezing in shock when he saw Firepaw sitting up in her nest. A moment later, however, his amber eyes lit up with joy and he rushed over to her, dropping his squirrel near the entrance to the cave.

"You're awake," he purred with relief, his eyes shining with happiness.

"Of course," Firepaw replied haughtily. Then, deciding to have a little fun, she narrowed her eyes and asked, "Why, did you think I was going to die or something? You thought a little cough would be enough to do me in?"

Tigerpaw backed away, his dark tabby fur fluffing up nervously. "N-not at all! I had complete faith in you!"

Firepaw, now struggling to keep a straight face, lifted her chin into the air and meowed, "Good. I have taught you well, my fine underling. Always remember the golden rule. _I _control my fate. StarClan does not control it for me. And if they try to claim they do, they'll have me to answer to. I have a punishment for them that's worse than _anything _they could possibly imagine. Worse than being forced to clean the elders' den for six moons, worse than border patrols with Thistleclaw, even worse than having to guard the ShadowClan border."

Tigerpaw listened, his eyes wide.

"If anyone in StarClan dares defy me," Firepaw continued, still in the same mock-haughty voice. "They will be forced to wear a pink kittypet bow for the rest of their afterlives."

For a moment, the two apprentices stared at each other silently. Then, finally, Firepaw couldn't hold herself together anymore and started laughing. Tigerpaw joined in a moment later, and for a while, the only sound that could be heard from the medicine den was the raucous merriment of the two friends.

"You're pretty when you're happy," Tigerpaw murmured once they had calmed down.

"What did you say?" Firepaw asked, certain she'd heard him wrong.

Tigerpaw turned his head away slightly. "Er, never mind," he meowed hastily. "Look, I brought this squirrel. You should eat something before Goosefeather wakes up and takes the entire fresh-kill pile for himself."

Firepaw stared in confusion as Tigerpaw quickly grabbed the squirrel and dropped it in front of her, his dark tabby fur fluffed up in embarrassment. What could she have asked that would get him so worked up? She pondered the question for a moment, then decided that it would be best to worry about it later. Tigerpaw's behavior was still just as much a mystery as it had ever been, and she didn't have the energy or the will to work out the reason behind it at the moment.


	13. Thistleclaw and Firepaw

After another day had passed, Goosefeather and Featherwhisker finally deemed Firepaw healthy enough to be allowed to return to her regular apprentice duties. They cautioned her against exerting herself too much for a few days, but the young molly didn't care; she was too excited about finally being able to leave the medicine den. She didn't even mind when Tigerpaw insisted on bringing her food and helping her groom her pelt, although normally she would have snapped at him for treating her like a kit.

"You're in an unusually good mood today," the dark tabby noted.

"It's a nice day," Firepaw replied cheerfully. She waved her tail at Whitepaw, who was returning to the camp after what looked to be a successful battle session with Patchpelt. The white apprentice nodded back at her before going to pick out a robin from the fresh-kill pile, clearly exhausted.

Unfortunately, her good mood wouldn't last much longer. Once he had finished his meal, Tigerpaw excused himself to go clear out the elders' old bedding. Not even two heartbeats after he left, Thistleclaw saw fit to approach her, his usual look of disdain on his face. Firepaw groaned inwardly; while Tigerpaw could be annoying at times, she would gladly take him over _Thistleclaw _any day. She lowered her gaze and chewed her mouse slowly, hoping to discourage him from trying to strike up any sort of conversation with her.

"I see you're out of Goosefeather's den now, kittypet," the gray and white warrior growled.

_No such luck. _

Letting out a sigh, Firepaw swallowed her last mouthful and turned her emerald-colored eyes upwards so that she was looking directly at the older warrior. "And why, might I ask, is that of any concern to you?"

"It isn't," Thistleclaw retorted coolly.

"Well, you obviously had a reason for coming over here and talking to the lowly kittypet apprentice, so you might as well just spit it out," Firepaw meowed irritably. "And make it quick, if you don't mind. I have better things to do than to sit around listening to anything you have to say to me."

For a moment, she thought the spiky-furred warrior was going to slash her open with his claws. He growled at her and lashed his tail, his teeth bared in a snarl. After a few heartbeats, however, he managed to calm himself down. Firepaw suspected that having so many other cats around helped him control his temper a little–after all, considering how few cats trusted Thistleclaw these days, it wouldn't do him any good to get in even more trouble.

"I want you to stay away from Tigerpaw," Thistleclaw hissed at her. "A stupid, pathetic kittypet like you doesn't have any right to even _speak _to my apprentice. He deserves a real warrior, not some soft, overfed waste of fresh-kill."

This time, Firepaw laughed out loud. "_Your _apprentice?" the flame-colored molly repeated incredulously. "Pardon me, Thistleclaw, but the last time I checked, Leopardfoot was Tigerpaw's mentor, not you."

"That will be remedied soon enough," the older warrior replied, swiping his tongue around his jaws as though he had just finished eating a juicy piece of prey. "Once Sunstar sees that I'm the best cat to be mentoring Tigerpaw, I'll have my apprentice back in no time. And once that happens, I'll see to it that you _never _go near him again."

Firepaw considered telling him that Tigerpaw was the one who approached _her _all the time but decided it wasn't worth it. "I hate to break it to you, but it's not up to you to decide whether I talk to my denmates or not. You might think that you're the greatest warrior to ever walk the forest, Thistleclaw, but you're really just a vain, arrogant, selfish, conceited, bloodthirsty, heartless excuse for a cat who would probably murder his own family if it meant you could get what you want. I feel sorry for anyone who has to put up with you, and I especially feel sorry for Whitepaw. Imagine having _you _as a father. I think I'd die of the shame."

Thistleclaw lashed his tail, digging his claws into the ground. "Let's get one thing straight," he snarled. "You will _never _be a true warrior. I don't care what Sunstar or anyone else says. Only cats who were born in the wild can call themselves real warriors. You're weak and pathetic, and you always will be. So don't even _think _about bothering Tigerpaw again after I get him back as my apprentice. Your paths are different, and I can't have him being distracted by you. He's going to become one of the greatest warriors the forest has ever seen, and _your _only job, Firepaw, is to produce more kits for the Clan. Since you won't ever be useful as a hunter or a fighter, you might as well make yourself useful."

"_Excuse _me?" Firepaw narrowed her eyes angrily. "_What _did you just say to me?"

"I said–"

"That was a rhetorical question, stupid," she snapped, cutting off the gray and white tom before he could get any further. "And let _me _make one thing clear. I don't know who you think you are, but you don't get to decide what my 'job' in the Clan is. If I want to have kits when I'm older, _I'll _be the one making that decision. I don't need anyone else to dictate my life for me, and even if I did, I certainly wouldn't be asking _you _of all cats. But it's fine, I appreciate the sentiment. At least I _have _a purpose in this Clan, unlike you. Now, _if _you don't mind, I'm going to see if Bluefur will take me hunting or on a border patrol before I lose any more of my sanity from having to listen to your voice."

Without waiting for a response, Firepaw stood up and stalked across the camp to where Bluefur, Rosetail, and Leopardfoot were sharing a meal. The three mollies looked up as she approached, their eyes softening with a mixture of sympathy and amusement when they saw the agitated state she was in. Firepaw felt like snapping at them; was now really the time to laugh at her?

"Something going on between you and Thistleclaw over there?" Bluefur asked sympathetically.

"You could say that," Firepaw grunted, sitting down beside her mentor. "For some reason, the idiot thought it would be a good idea to tell me that I'm not allowed to talk to Tigerpaw anymore because, according to him, I'm not good enough for the great future of ThunderClan. _Ha_! As if I'd listen to anything _he _has to say. And he actually tried to tell me that my purpose in the Clan is to produce kits! Can you believe that?"

Rosetail let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Firepaw," the gray tabby warrior apologized. "He's always been that way, even when we were kits. I think Poppydawn hoped that he would grow up and change eventually, but that never happened."

"He did the same thing to Snowfur too, now that I think about it," Leopardfoot remarked. "Not in the same way, mind you, he made sure to be a little more...subtle about it."

"How so?" Firepaw asked curiously. She couldn't imagine Thistleclaw being subtle about anything. Then again, if Sunstar had once trusted him enough to mentor an apprentice, she supposed he had to be a fairly good actor. Of course, they all knew how that had turned out.

Bluefur narrowed her eyes. "He was always going on about what a good mother she would be and how wonderful it would be to have kits with her," the blue-furred molly meowed bitterly. "I used to have to listen to them all the time...talking about how they were going to have a happy family and how their kits would be the greatest gift ThunderClan had ever received. Snowfur always used to be a fighter–you remind me a lot of her in a way, as a matter of fact–and I never thought that she would be the type of cat to settle down in the nursery and start a family. But Thistleclaw changed that in her, and before I knew it, she was expecting his kits. And we hadn't even been warriors for much time either."

The blue-gray warrior's eyes darkened suddenly. "She gave birth to Whitepaw and she did a wonderful job raising him, but being cooped up in the nursery all the time made her restless," she continued. "I offered to take her out on a walk, and while we were out, we ended up getting into an argument. She ran away and I chased after her, but we bumped into a ShadowClan patrol. We managed to fight them off, but Snowfur was so frustrated with being stuck in the nursery for so long that she tried to chase them across the Thunderpath...and she was killed by a monster. If Thistleclaw hadn't put the idea in her head that she needed to have kits with him, she wouldn't have been stuck in camp all the time, and she would have had the common sense not to rush onto the Thunderpath the way she did. It's his fault that my sister died."

Firepaw didn't know what to say to that. For a moment, she wondered if she should tell Bluefur what she had learned from her meeting with Snowfur: that the white queen _had _loved Thistleclaw and wanted to have a family with him. But she decided against it, figuring there wasn't much point in doing so. It was hard to disagree with her mentor's perspective anyway; Thistleclaw _did _seem like the type of cat to manipulate his mate into having kits with him. Silently, she licked Bluefur's shoulder to comfort her and felt the older warrior brush her muzzle against her forehead gratefully.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be saying things like that," Bluefur murmured. "Their relationship wasn't _entirely _awful. Whitepaw makes the fact that I don't have Snowfur around anymore much easier to bear."

"You're not entirely wrong," Leopardfoot meowed, flicking her tail. "I still have no idea what Snowfur saw in Thistleclaw. Even though we didn't always know he was bloodthirsty, he's never exactly been the nicest cat."

"StarClan knows, I'm sure," Bluefur replied resignedly. Shaking her head, she turned her attention to Firepaw. "Now, I'm guessing you didn't come over here to gossip about Snowfur and Thistleclaw, so is there anything you needed?"

"What–oh! Yeah, actually, I was just wondering if we could go hunting," Firepaw answered, twitching her ear.

"Of course," her mentor meowed kindly. "Rosetail, Leopardfoot, do you two want to come? We should try to restock the fresh-kill pile by tonight."

"I can't, I promised Swiftbreeze and Robinwing that I would look after the kits this afternoon," Leopardfoot meowed apologetically. "But maybe next time."

"I'll come with you," Rosetail spoke up. "I could do with some exercise after that meal. Maybe we could ask Thrushpelt and Tigerpaw to come; I'm sure they'd love to keep you two company."

"Right," Bluefur mumbled, averting her icy blue eyes towards the ground. Firepaw wondered why her mentor was looking so mutinous at the mention of Thrushpelt's name; from what she could see, they got along well. Then the last part of Rosetail's sentence finally registered in her brain and she snapped her head back to the ginger-tailed molly.

"Wait, why would Tigerpaw be happy to keep us company?" she asked.

At her question, the three older warriors exchanged an amused glance and shook their heads. "You'll understand in time, dear," Rosetail replied finally. "In the meantime, why don't you go see if Tigerpaw wants to join our hunting patrol? I'm sure he'll be flattered if you ask him."

"If you say so..." Firepaw still wasn't sure what was going on, but she dipped her head obediently and padded over to the elders' den. Tigerpaw was just coming out as she approached, and he paused when he noticed her coming.

"Hey, Firepaw," he greeted her. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm great, actually. We're just about to go hunting and I was wondering if you wanted to come," Firepaw told him. "Bluefur, Rosetail, Thrushpelt, and I are all going."

"Well, if you're going to be there, I can't say no," Tigerpaw meowed softly.

"Well, thank you for the compliment. That's unusually nice of you," Firepaw meowed with a chuckle. She turned around and started walking back over to the warriors, who were waiting for them by the gorse tunnel. "Come on, we should get going. I'll bet I can catch more prey than you!"

Tigerpaw purred. "That's what you think," he teased, bounding after her. "I'll catch so much prey, the entire Clan will be able to feast for two moons."

"I'm sure the Clan would appreciate it," Thrushpelt meowed in amusement. "Why don't you and Firepaw go off on your own? We'll meet you two at Fourtrees before we head back to the camp."

"O-okay," Tigerpaw stammered, looking unusually embarrassed. He glanced over at Firepaw awkwardly. "So...er, do you want to go hunting together?"

"Sure," Firepaw agreed cheerfully, flicking her tail. She darted off into the forest, calling over her shoulder, "I'm going to catch the first piece of prey!"

As she raced through the forest, she could hear Tigerpaw several tail-lengths behind as he struggled to catch up with her. Firepaw didn't stop to wait, however, choosing instead to dart up a nearby tree and scan the forest for any sign of prey. It had been a long stay in the medicine den, and she was going to make sure to make the most of this little hunting trip.

* * *

**Thistleclaw is still being an asshole and a misogynistic one at that. Probably not surprising, to be honest. Firepaw definitely isn't scared to tell him exactly what she thinks of him. **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**Person: Snowfur is great :). And yes, she's still completely clueless...at this point, someone might as well just whack her over the head with a stiff rabbit. **

**Simitria: I've been wanting Firepaw to meet Snowfur for a while, so I'm glad you enjoyed it! Originally, I _was _going to have her warn Firepaw not to fall for Tigerpaw blindly as she did with Thistleclaw...but let's be honest, Firepaw doesn't need that warning. Although Tigerpaw is extremely dedicated to her, you're right about that. Too bad she's too oblivious to realize what's going on, lol. **

** .52: They'll definitely be friends! Although I'm not sure what suffix I'll use for Spottedkit...I might just stick to her canon name, Spottedleaf. Then again, Spottedflower is a nice name...hmm...**

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Happy, spunky Firepaw is good Firepaw. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	14. Warrior Names

Firepaw ducked out of the way as Bluefur leaped at her, twisting around and using her back legs to fling her mentor across the sandy hollow. Before the blue-gray molly had time to perform a counterattack, she leaped to her paws again, her senses on high alert. Finally, after what felt like endless seasons of training, she was almost ready to become a warrior. All she had to do was pass one final battle assessment, and she would be having her warrior ceremony later that evening.

Out of the corner of her eye, Firepaw could see Whitepaw and Patchpelt watching her intently. The younger apprentice had passed his final assessment as well and was now waiting to see if Firepaw would be joining him as a warrior tonight. Truthfully, Firepaw knew she could have earned her warrior name at least two moons ago, but she had chosen to delay her ceremony until Frostpaw and Brindlepaw had become apprentices so that Whitepaw wouldn't be alone.

"That's enough for today," Bluefur panted as Firepaw landed a successful upright lock.

"Does that mean I passed?" Firepaw asked, climbing off her mentor and allowing her to get back to her paws.

"You did," the blue-gray molly purred, touching her nose to Firepaw's ear. "Well done, Firepaw."

Firepaw let out a sigh of relief that she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. Quickly, she bounded over to Whitepaw, who was practically bouncing up and down at the edge of the clearing in excitement. When she reached him, he licked her shoulder in congratulations, although he had to bend his head down to do so. Over the past few moons, he had surpassed her in size and could even rival Tigerclaw in that department now. Firepaw was glad that they were on her side; she wouldn't want to meet either of them in battle.

"We did it!" Whitepaw purred, his yellow eyes shining with excitement. "We're going to become warriors!"

"You both did wonderfully today," Patchpelt meowed warmly. "Let's get back to the camp so you two can have something to eat, and then Bluefur and I will talk to Sunstar about holding your warrior ceremonies."

The two apprentices nodded eagerly and raced off in the direction of the camp. Despite having just spent most of the afternoon in a long, grueling battle session, Firepaw's paws felt lighter than air as she padded over to the fresh-kill pile. Not even the sight of Thistleclaw standing at the edge of the camp, yellow eyes narrowed in hatred, could dampen her joy at having passed her assessment. She selected a rabbit–it was rather stringy, but it would do–and was about to carry it over to the mossy stump outside the apprentices' den when she heard Tigerclaw calling out to her.

"How did your assessment go?" the dark tabby asked, padding over to her. He had earned his warrior name three moons ago, not long after Firepaw had recovered from her bout of greencough. A few tail-lengths away, Whitepaw put his robin down to answer.

"We passed," he replied. Tigerclaw's eyes lit up.

"You did? That's great!" he purred. Firepaw couldn't help noticing that although he praised both of them equally, he didn't turn to look at Whitepaw once. "I knew you could do it."

"Thanks, Tigerclaw," Firepaw meowed sincerely. "Listen, we're supposed to eat right now, but we'll see you after the ceremony."

"Alright," Tigerclaw agreed, stepping aside and allowing her to walk past. As Firepaw padded towards the mossy stump, he called out to her, "I'll be sure to make a nest in the warriors' den for you!"

Firepaw flicked her tail to let him know that she'd heard and sat down beside the apprentices' eating area, taking a bite out of her rabbit. As she chewed her fresh-kill, she suddenly realized that Whitepaw was looking at her with amusement clear in his eyes. She cocked her head to the side questioningly, but he just shook his head and chuckled.

"What is it?" she asked, puzzled and more than a little irritated.

"Oh, nothing," Whitepaw meowed, twitching his whiskers. "You'll understand in a few more moons, I'm sure."

"Yeah, that's what Rosetail, Bluefur, and Leopardfoot keep telling me," Firepaw muttered. "I don't suppose it would occur to any of you to actually tell me what's so funny."

"Ah, but where would we get our entertainment from then?"

"I'm honored beyond belief that you find my suffering so amusing, believe me."

"Sarcastic as ever, Firepaw."

"Infuriating as ever, Whitepaw."

The flame-pelted apprentice let out a sigh as she finished off the rest of her meal. She was beginning to realize that she would probably never understand what her friends found so hilarious about her and Tigerclaw. They were friends now, granted, but she didn't see why that was cause for amusement. If there _was _anything funny about the situation, it was that she was now gifted with the opportunity to see Thistleclaw practically choke with horror every time Tigerclaw so much as looked at her. She would gladly enjoy the gray and white warrior's suffering any day.

It occurred to Firepaw that she should probably be careful what she wished for.

Finally, as the sun was just beginning to dip down below the horizon, Sunstar gave the call to summon the Clan for a meeting. Her heart beating rapidly in her chest, Firepaw stood up and padded over to the throng of warriors beneath the Highrock. This was it; this was the big moment. Any moment now, she would lose her status as an apprentice forever and take her place among the warriors of ThunderClan.

"Today we welcome two new apprentices into our ranks as warriors," Sunstar began once everyone had settled themselves down. "Firepaw and Whitepaw have finished their training, and it is my honor to grant them their warrior names this evening. Whitepaw, please step forward."

Whitepaw padded forward, his body trembling with excitement. Sunstar looked down at the younger tom.

"Whitepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" the ThunderClan leader asked.

There was no hesitation in Whitepaw's voice. "I do," he replied.

"Then by the power of StarClan, I grant you your warrior name. Whitepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Whitestorm. StarClan honors your bravery and your wisdom, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Sunstar leaped down from the Highrock and touched his muzzle to Whitestorm's head. The newly-named warrior licked his shoulder respectfully, stepping back and padding over to join Bluefur and Rosetail near the center of the group of cats. They purred softly in congratulations, although Firepaw noticed that Thistleclaw made no move to acknowledge his son.

Now, it was Firepaw's turn. Once the Clan was paying attention again, Sunstar turned his attention to the young flame-colored molly. Firepaw's heart was hammering furiously against her chest, and she was amazed that her Clanmates couldn't hear it. The sound was nearly deafening.

"Firepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Sunstar asked.

Doubts flooded into Firepaw's mind. What if she wasn't ready after all? Maybe she should wait a little longer before she had her ceremony–a little more training couldn't hurt. Her mind flashed back to every mistake, every missed piece of fresh-kill, every single frustration she had run into during her training. She was a decent hunter and fighter, but she wasn't anywhere near the best by any means. Was she good enough to become a warrior?

Almost instinctively, she turned her gaze towards Bluefur, seated just a couple of tail-lengths away from her. The blue-gray molly nodded almost imperceptibly, barely enough for anyone to notice, but it was enough. Her resolve strengthened, Firepaw looked back at Sunstar, exhaling slowly as she did so.

"I do," she meowed steadily.

"Then by the power of StarClan, I grant you your warrior name. Firepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Fireheart. StarClan honors your spirit and your courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Sunstar rested his muzzle against Fireheart's head, and the flame-colored molly licked his shoulder respectfully. She stepped back and padded over to Whitestorm, Bluefur, and Rosetail, her head held high with joy. Fireheart sat down next to her now-former mentor as the Clan began cheering for the two new warriors.

"Fireheart! Whitestorm! Fireheart! Whitestorm!"

"Congratulations, you two," Bluefur purred, giving each of them a swift lick to the shoulder. She touched her nose gently to Fireheart's cheek and murmured, "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Bluefur," Fireheart murmured.

Tigerclaw raced over from the other side of the clearing to greet them next. "Congratulations!" he meowed warmly, his amber eyes glowing as he looked at Fireheart. "Good names, too. Sunstar must have thought for a long time about what to name you two."

"Glad you approve," Fireheart meowed teasingly. "I'd hate to disappoint _you _in any way."

Although it was clear from her tone that she was joking, Tigerclaw looked a little embarrassed for a moment. Fireheart flicked his shoulder with her tail to let him know that she was only messing with him, and he seemed to relax considerably.

"Anyway," the dark tabby meowed, glancing rather nervously at her. "I made a nest for you in the warriors' den. It's close to the center, so you'll be right next to me."

"Thanks, Tigerclaw," Fireheart meowed sincerely. Then she frowned as another thought crossed her mind. "But isn't the center of the den where the senior warriors are supposed to sleep? I don't think they're going to want me there."

"You're not _completely _in the center," Tigerclaw explained. "I just didn't want you on the outside edge of the den. It gets pretty cold there and considering you have pretty short fur..."

"Oh." Fireheart couldn't hide her surprise at this surprising gesture of thoughtfulness. "Well, thank you, Tigerclaw."

"No problem," the older warrior purred. "You're supposed to keep a vigil tonight, but in the morning, I'll come to get you so I can show you to your new nest."

Fireheart nodded, although she wondered why Tigerclaw was so insistent on taking care of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bluefur giving her a knowing look, but she pointedly ignored her former mentor. Instead, she turned her attention to Whitestorm, who was having a conversation of his own with Tigerclaw now. As she approached the two toms, she was fairly certain that she heard her name mentioned once or twice, but she decided to brush it off.

"Come on, we should get ready for our vigil," she meowed. "The sooner we get started, the sooner the night will be over."

"Good thinking," Whitestorm agreed. He nodded to Tigerclaw and followed Fireheart to the middle of the camp, where they would be holding their vigil for the night.

As the rest of the Clan began to disperse towards their respective dens, Fireheart turned her attention to the moon rising steadily above the treetops. Briefly, she wondered if every single cat, mouse, or other living creature in the world saw the same moon every night. It was a strange thought, she admitted to herself, but she wasn't exactly concerned with where her mind was wandering at the moment.

The sound of Tigerclaw's snoring drew her attention to the warriors' den. Through the entrance, she could just barely make out her friend's massive form as he slept a few nests away from Rosetail and Bluefur. She found it rather amusing that, despite her initial reluctance to go anywhere near Tigerclaw when she first joined the Clan, she could easily pick him out amongst a crowd of warriors despite extremely poor visual conditions. If someone had told her that she would consider Tigerclaw a friend back when she was still fresh out of Twolegplace, she would have laughed in their face.

But then again, he had changed over the past few moons–they all had, as a matter of fact. He wasn't the arrogant bully she had met on her adventure into the forest, and she wasn't a soft, overfed kittypet anymore. Of course, Tigerclaw still had his pride and Fireheart was still as stubborn and defiant when confronted with conflict as ever, but they weren't at each other's throats every moment of every day. They had grown up.

Fireheart knew that she still had a long way to go, however. She and Whitestorm would be taking on more responsibilities as warriors now; their Clan would be counting on them even more than they were before. Even worse, they wouldn't be able to avoid Thistleclaw all the time now since they were sharing a den.

On the other hand, however, they still had Bluefur, Rosetail, and Leopardfoot. Over the past several moons, Fireheart had come to regard the three older warriors as replacement sisters of sorts. Even Thrushpelt was beginning to take on an almost brotherly role in her life, although he seemed more interested in Bluefur than anything. And, of course, she, Whitestorm, and Tigerclaw all had each other. Whatever came their way, they would be more than ready for it.

* * *

**Fireheart and Whitestorm are warriors at last! She basically pulled a Whitewing and decided to delay her ceremony so that Whitestorm wouldn't be the only apprentice. I decided to keep Fireheart's canon name since it's one of my favorites and I didn't really see any reason to change it. She certainly wouldn't be getting named for her intelligence, seeing as how she can't pick up on the completely obvious hints Tigerclaw is dropping. He literally made a nest just for her and she still hasn't figured things out. **

**I'm enjoying writing her obliviousness a little too much. **

**I'll update the next chapter of Echoing Flames as soon as I find the time. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	15. Interruptions

For the next several days, Tigerclaw tried and failed countless times to work up the courage to ask Fireheart the question he'd been dreaming of proposing ever since they had fought side by side against Raggedpelt, Foxheart, and Nightpaw.

He wasn't entirely sure what was wrong with him. After all, it wasn't as though it was a difficult question. It was just, "Will you be my mate?"–nothing more, nothing less. All he had to do was string together five simple words, yet for some reason, the task proved to be nearly impossible whenever he so much as looked at the flame-colored molly. Tigerclaw had worked up the courage to approach her four times in the past three days but had failed to ask her every single time. The most embarrassing moment by far had been when he somehow ended up asking her if she would eat a mouse tail for him. _That _was one memory he would gladly suppress for the rest of his life.

Of course, being able to work up the nerve to ask Fireheart to be his mate wasn't the only problem Tigerclaw was faced with. On several other occasions, he had been about to approach her when he was intercepted by one of his other Clanmates asking him to do a favor for them. The last thing he needed was for Fireheart to think he was rude and inconsiderate, so he agreed every single time. After multiple days in a row of this, however, his patience was starting to wear thin. If he had to assist one more battle training session, his head was going to explode.

Whitestorm padded over to him, jolting the dark tabby out of his thoughts. On the other side of the camp, Fireheart was talking with Bluefur, Rosetail, and Thrushpelt, her body relaxed and her emerald-colored eyes bright with happiness. Judging by the amused expression in Whitestorm's eyes, the younger warrior had seen Tigerclaw watching the pretty ginger molly.

"You know, you aren't going to make any progress with Fireheart by sitting around and staring at her all day," the white tom pointed out.

"I _know, _Whitestorm," Tigerclaw meowed, letting out a sigh of mixed exasperation and despair. "I'm trying, okay? I just can't seem to work up the nerve to ask her to be my mate. And I don't even know if she would _want _to be my mate, which just makes everything worse. What am I supposed to do if she rejects me?"

"I don't know," Whitestorm admitted.

"It's just..." Tigerclaw let his voice trail away for a few heartbeats, then spoke up again, "Fireheart–she's the only one in this entire world for me, you know what I'm saying? I know that sounds stupid and cliche, but I don't want anyone else as my mate. It's either going to be her, or it won't be anyone at all. But if I'm going to ask her...I want to know that she feels the same way."

"You want to know who feels the same way about what?"

Tigerclaw froze as Fireheart's sweet, gentle voice reached his ears. Slowly, he turned around to see her standing a few tail-lengths away from him, an expression of confusion on her face.

"Er, nothing!" he meowed hastily. "Nothing. I was just...talking about...birds!"

_Great, just great, _Tigerclaw thought with a groan. There was no way he was going to recover from this one.

"Oh yeah, I've always wondered how birds feel when we eat them for breakfast," Fireheart agreed, nodding solemnly.

Was she _mocking _him? He couldn't believe it. When he was so obviously trying not to lose his mind, she was _mocking _him.

"But seriously, what were you talking about?" Fireheart asked, tilting her head to the side.

"It's really nothing," Whitestorm meowed quickly, saving Tigerclaw the trouble of having to come up with another excuse. "We were actually talking about Bluefur and Thrushpelt. You know how he's been padding after her for...well, several moons by now."

"Oh yeah, I guess he kind of has," Fireheart agreed, frowning thoughtfully. "I hadn't really noticed before, but now that you mention it..."

Whitestorm shook his head in mock despair. "Fireheart, you're my best friend, but you are _incredibly _dense sometimes."

The flame-colored warrior frowned. "Hey! I am _not _dense. I just have more important things to do than worry about my friends' relationships, that's all."

"Sure," Whitestorm meowed, nodding. "And that's why you're still completely unaware of the fact that–"

"Right, then," Tigerclaw meowed loudly, cutting off whatever the white tom was going to say next. The last thing he needed was for Whitestorm to accidentally reveal his feelings for Fireheart right in front of her. "Moving on now, do you want to come hunting with me, Fireheart? The fresh-kill pile is looking a little empty, and I'm sure we could have it restocked by tonight."

"Sure, good idea," Fireheart agreed cheerfully. "Want to try the Twolegplace border first? There's bound to be some prey lying around there today."

Tigerclaw nodded and got to his paws, padding alongside Fireheart as they headed for the gorse tunnel. They passed by Adderfang and Stormtail guarding the camp entrance, nodding to the older warriors as they walked past them. He wasn't entirely sure, but he was almost certain that he heard Adderfang whisper, "Good luck," to him.

Barely a few moments after they left the camp, Fireheart suddenly came to a halt, tasting the air. She turned her head to the right, focusing on something several tree-lengths away. Tigerclaw followed her gaze and saw a squirrel collecting some nuts and berries underneath an oak tree. He was impressed; how had she noticed it from this far away?

Silently, Fireheart dropped into the hunting crouch and began to stalk towards her prey. Since the squirrel was quite a long way away, she was moving faster than normal but still managed to keep her pawsteps utterly silent. Once she was only a tail-length or so away, she pounced, nipping her catch on the back of its neck and killing it instantly.

"Well done!" Tigerclaw called out to her.

"Thanks!" Fireheart purred, her green eyes sparkling with pride. She buried her squirrel under a pile of leaves and bounded back over to him. "Come on, the next one's on you."

As they continued through the forest, Tigerclaw sent a silent word of praise to StarClan for the fact that it was newleaf. The forest was full of prey, possibly enough to last them until leaf-fall. Of course, he knew that they would probably run out before the cold weather seasons arrived, but he would be sure to enjoy the good hunting until then.

By the time they reached the Twolegplace border, Fireheart had already managed to assemble two more squirrels, a robin, three mice, and a pheasant. Tigerclaw, for his part, had caught two pigeons, a blackbird, and three rabbits. Every single time Fireheart praised one of his catches, he felt a spark of happiness in his chest that couldn't be matched by any compliment he had ever gotten from another Clanmate.

He watched as Fireheart scanned the area for more prey, her ears pricked. It was painfully obvious to him that he was being presented with the perfect opportunity to tell her how he felt about her, but once again, his voice refused to cooperate with him. All he had to do was ask one simple question, but it was proving to be as difficult as chasing an adder in a thicket of brambles.

_Just talk to her! _a voice in his head urged. _You might not get another chance to talk to her alone for a while. _

Tigerclaw let out a sigh, knowing the voice in his head was right. "Hey, Fireheart?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah? What is it?" Fireheart glanced over at him, relaxing her stance. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not really," he meowed reassuringly. "I just had a question for you."

"Go on, then," she replied, nodding.

"Well, I was just wondering...is there anyone in the Clan that you like?" he asked. Almost immediately, he wished he could take everything back. What sort of question was that? There was no way she wasn't going to see right through him.

Fireheart looked puzzled. "I mean, yeah," she meowed as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I like a lot of cats. I've got friends, don't I?"

Tigerclaw shook his head. "That's not quite what I meant," he corrected. "I meant...do you _like _anyone...as in, is there anyone in ThunderClan that you would want as a mate?"

"Oh, well, I'm not really sure," the pretty ginger warrior answered. "I hadn't really thought much about it before. I've mostly been focused on becoming a warrior since I got here."

"That's fair," Tigerclaw agreed with a nod.

Well, it wasn't quite the answer he was hoping for, but he tried to look on the bright side. At least it wasn't an outright no.

"Who knows though, I might want a mate someday," Fireheart added thoughtfully. "And maybe even have kits. But not for several moons or so. I want to serve my Clan as a warrior before I end up stuck in the nursery all day for six moons."

"That's a good plan," Tigerclaw meowed, feeling a spark of hope. Maybe all she needed was a little more time. If he asked her to be his mate in a few moons, perhaps she would be more inclined to agree then.

"Why the question anyway?" Fireheart asked, turning her green gaze towards him. "I mean, no offense or anything, but it doesn't seem like something you would be interested in."

"Ah, that," Tigerclaw meowed awkwardly. "Well, you see..."

"Rose? Rose, is that you?"

At first, Tigerclaw sent a silent word of thanks to StarClan for saving him once again. Almost immediately, however, his relief faded when he noticed the furious expression on Fireheart's face. She was glaring at two cats on top of the fence separating the forest from Twolegplace. The first one was a light gray molly and the second was a black tom with a white muzzle and paws. Tigerclaw didn't need to hear the two cats introduce themselves to know who they were; the fury blazing in Fireheart's green eyes told him all he needed to know. These cats must have been her littermates, Ruby and Socks.

"Rose! It _is _you!" the black tom exclaimed.

"That's not my name anymore," Fireheart snarled, glaring at her siblings. "If you aren't going to call me by my real name, I'm not going to bother with you."

"How are we supposed to know what your name is now?" the gray molly protested.

"That's your problem, Ruby," Fireheart retorted. Tigerclaw watched the exchange nervously, wanting to jump to Fireheart's defense but knowing that she probably wouldn't appreciate him trying to fight her battles for her. "And just who do you think you are? I seem to remember you blaming me for our mother's death just a few moons ago. Now you expect me to talk to you as if we're _friends _or something?"

Ruby looked away guiltily. Fireheart just glared at her, obviously not moved at all.

"We...we needed your help," Socks meowed when Ruby failed to speak up again for several heartbeats. "Our housefolk threw us out and we don't have anywhere to go. We can't catch our own food, and nobody will take us in. Will you bring us to your new home and let us stay with you?"

Fireheart stared at her brother in disbelief. "_You're _asking _me _for help?" she asked incredulously. "After everything that you did to me and after you called me a freak and tormented me at every opportunity, you expect me to _help _you?"

"I know we haven't been the nicest littermates in the world," Ruby meowed desperately, finally finding her voice again. "But you're our sister. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Why should it? It never mattered to you before!"

The two former kittypets just stared at her, unable to refute anything she was saying. Fireheart paced back and forth, her tail lashing angrily.

"You can't seriously–you can't expect to just walk back into my life and expect me to welcome you back," she spat. "I might have been willing to forgive you at one point, but after you blamed me for Quince's death? No. I'm happier where I am now, I have a better life than I ever did in Twolegplace, and yes, most of it is because I don't have to deal with you. There are cats now who are more like a family to me than you two ever were. They _appreciate _me, they treat me like I'm someone worthy of basic respect. I don't need you two anymore, and frankly, I never did. You mean _nothing _to me. Your Twolegs abandoning you is nothing more than karma finally coming around and biting you in the tail."

"Rose..." Ruby whispered.

"And anyway," Fireheart continued, calming down slightly. "Even if I _was _stupid enough to agree to take you back to my home, it's not my decision as to whether you'd be allowed to stay. And honestly, I can't say that I could see Sunstar agreeing to take you two in. We don't need any more soft mouths to feed in ThunderClan."

She turned and stalked away into the trees, her tail still bristling with anger. Tigerclaw stared after her uncertainly, wondering if he should go after her. A moment later, however, she returned with two mice in her jaws. She tossed them in front of Socks and Ruby, who stared between their sister and the two mice.

"Eat them," Fireheart meowed harshly. "Eat them, and then leave and never return. If I see you on this territory again, I just _might _tell Thistleclaw that there are two kittypets in the area that need to be dealt with. And this time, Bluefur won't be around to save you."

There was no way Socks and Ruby could know who Thistleclaw and Bluefur were. However, the thinly veiled threat in Fireheart's words was impossible to miss. The two loners nodded meekly, and Fireheart seemed satisfied. She turned around and stalked back in the direction of the camp, tossing a, "I'm going back to the camp now," over her shoulder to Tigerclaw as she walked by.

Tigerclaw cast one last look at Socks and Ruby before padding after Fireheart. Before he had passed out of earshot, however, he heard Ruby call out to him.

"What is it?" he asked sharply, turning around. He would never forgive these two cats for hurting Fireheart.

Ruby shifted about nervously. "Tell...tell her that we said thanks for the meal, will you?"

Tigerclaw just looked at her. "You both really hurt her, you know," he meowed quietly.

"We know," Socks meowed despondently. "We're not proud of how we treated her, but–"

"But nothing," Tigerclaw interrupted. "Nobody forced you to treat her worse than dirt. You chose to bully her all on your own. I don't know how you can even justify coming here and bothering her again. She's the most amazing cat I've ever met, and the fact that you two had the _nerve _to..."

He broke off, taking a deep breath to calm himself. It wouldn't look good if he murdered two kittypets. Fireheart probably wouldn't appreciate him doing so, despite her threat to her littermates just a few moments ago.

"If you wanted to rekindle your relationship with her, then you should have apologized and changed your ways a long time ago," he told them finally. "But you failed to do so, and now she's never going to forgive you–as well she shouldn't. I won't be passing on any sort of message for you. Next time, maybe you'll have the nerve to thank her personally instead."

With that, he turned and bounded off into the forest after Fireheart. As it turned out, it didn't take long to find her. She was sitting beside a tree stump, her green eyes dull and her normally cheerful expression filled with misery.

"Fireheart?" Tigerclaw meowed tentatively. "Are you okay?"

Fireheart let out a sigh and turned to look at him. "Yeah, I think so," she replied quietly. "I'm sorry you had to see all of that."

"Don't be," he meowed reassuringly. "Your siblings are complete and utter idiots. If they can't see what a great cat you are, that's their problem."

"Thanks, Tigerclaw," Fireheart murmured.

"Anyway, they're getting exactly what they deserve. I'd love to see them try to catch a mouse," Tigerclaw added. "Can you imagine that?"

Fireheart nodded, snickering a little. Tigerclaw was relieved to see her looking a little happier than before. He hated it when she was upset about anything.

They continued on their way back to the camp, pausing along the way to pick up their fresh-kill. Along the way, Tigerclaw continued to make small talk with Fireheart to try to cheer her up. By the time they reached the camp, she was back to her normal self, talking almost nonstop about one subject or another. The two warriors entered the camp with their load of prey, padding over to the fresh-kill pile and depositing it with two simultaneous sighs of relief.

"Welcome back, you two," Sunstar meowed, walking over to them. "I see you both had a good hunt today."

"StarClan was good to us," Fireheart agreed.

The ThunderClan leader nodded. "Well, since you two did so well, I don't see any reason why you can't take the rest of the day off. Go take a piece of fresh-kill each and share a meal. I'll let Adderfang know to keep you two off the evening patrols."

"Adderfang?" Tigerclaw repeated in confusion. "What's he got to do with it?"

Sunstar let out a sigh. "Tawnyspots is ill again, so Adderfang is taking over his duties until he recovers."

"Again?" Fireheart asked, looking worried. "That's the second time in about as many moons. What's going on with him?"

"I don't know, Fireheart," Sunstar admitted. "We can only hope that this is just a passing issue that's lingering around longer than necessary." He shook his head. "But enough of all that. I've kept you around too long, so I'll let you both enjoy your meals now."

He nodded to them and padded away, heading over to speak to Adderfang, Sparrowpelt, and Fuzzypelt near the elders' den. Tigerclaw watched him for a few moments before picking up a pigeon from the prey pile and heading over to a shaded area beside the warriors' den. Fireheart joined him a moment later, a rabbit clutched in her jaws. The two warriors ate in silence for a few heartbeats before the flame-pelted molly spoke up.

"Do you think Tawnyspots will be okay?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Tigerclaw admitted. He was wondering the same thing himself. "Goosefeather and Featherwhisker will try their best, I'm sure...but I don't know how much more he can take. He _has _been sick a lot, which isn't good for a cat's body. Sooner or later, it's bound to be too much for him to handle."

"Let's hope it's not for a while, though," Fireheart meowed grimly.

Tigerclaw nodded in agreement. While there were certainly other warriors who could take over Tawnyspots' position as Clan deputy if he died or chose to retire, the stress of making such a decision would be a lot for Sunstar to handle. They already had issues with the other Clans to deal with, namely RiverClan who seemed determined to taunt them about the loss of Sunningrocks at every border patrol.

After they had finished their fresh-kill, Fireheart murmured that she was going to sleep for a while and padded into the warriors' den. Tigerclaw hesitated for a moment, then followed her inside. By the time he entered, she was already curled up inside her nest, her flank rising and falling steadily as she dozed away. Slowly, he padded over to his own nest beside hers and lay down, perfectly content to just sit there and watch the flame-colored warrior.

"I love you, Fireheart," he whispered, and even though he knew she couldn't hear him, he was happy to know that he had finally managed to say what he'd been trying to get off his chest for moons.

* * *

** Nice job, Tigerclaw. Now just tell her when she's awake next time, will you? **

**Socks and Ruby have been thrown out of their houses, mwahahahahahaha. They deserved it after what they did to Fireheart. **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**scarlett quagmire: Happy birthday! Enjoy the new chapter :). **

**Guest: Fireheart is as dense as a black hole. **

**Person: At this point, her obliviousness is completely driving everyone insane. _Everyone_ and I do mean everyone, can see that Tigerclaw is in love with her, yet she still hasn't figured it out. The entire Clan is probably taking bets on how long it will take her to get the hint. **

**davidtheumbreon: Wearing a bright, flashing neon sign is probably the only method Tigerclaw _hasn't _used to confess to Fireheart by now. **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Well, he tried to approach her to ask her to be his mate several times...and failed every single attempt. So now he's just waiting for a few moons. But have no fear, he has no intention of giving up until he has either a solid yes or no answer. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	16. Morning Walks

The early-morning sunlight filtered in through the warriors' den, hitting Fireheart's pelt as she padded outside to join Bluefur, Stormtail, Tigerclaw, and Brindlepaw on the dawn patrol. She glanced over at the fresh-kill pile as she passed by, wondering if she should take something to eat before she left with the rest of the patrol. It was already almost time to go; she wouldn't have time to finish a meal. She would just have to wait until she got back home later that morning.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Tigerclaw greeted her, a lighthearted gleam in his amber eyes. The flame-colored warrior glared at him, and he meowed, "Someone's a little grumpy."

"You would know," Fireheart replied, yawning. "Who thought dawn patrols were a good idea anyway?"

"Probably one of the ancient warriors," Bluefur meowed, her whiskers twitching with amusement.

"Well, once I figure out which one, I'm going to take a trip to StarClan to claw their fur off," Fireheart muttered mutinously.

"I don't think that's possible, Fireheart," Stormtail informed her.

"We'll see about that."

Fireheart followed after Bluefur as her former mentor led the way out of the camp. Despite the fact that the sun was barely above the horizon, most of the forest was already awake. A robin was feeding its chicks in a nest up top a nearby tree, the babies flapping their tiny wings and chirping in earnest. Briefly, Fireheart wondered what baby bird meat tasted like, then quickly realized what a disturbing thought that was and immediately banished it from her mind.

_I guess that's what I get for leaving without eating breakfast, _she thought ruefully.

"So, Brindlepaw," Stormtail meowed after some time had passed. "Can you tell me where we are now?"

His apprentice glanced around for a moment before responding, "We're almost at Sunningrocks. Once we get past those trees, we'll be there."

"That's right," Stormtail meowed, nodding. "And are we allowed to go on Sunningrocks right now?"

"No," Brindlepaw meowed, shaking her head. "It belongs to RiverClan right now. We can't trespass on another Clan's territory because the warrior code forbids it."

"Excellent. Well done, Brindlepaw," the blue-gray tom meowed approvingly. Fireheart couldn't help feeling as though he were asking her incredibly obvious questions but chose not to point that out. Brindlepaw was still young; maybe this was just how she learned best.

As they continued on their way along the RiverClan border by Sunningrocks, Fireheart became aware of Tigerclaw padding up to walk beside her. She twitched her ear slightly, wondering what he wanted with her. His strange behavior around her hadn't changed at all in the two moons since she had earned her warrior name, and it both confused and pleased her at the same time, or perhaps she was simply confused as to why it pleased her.

"Er, hi Tigerclaw," Fireheart meowed awkwardly. "Is, uh, is there something you needed?"

"Not really," the dark tabby answered. "I just wanted to talk to you, that's all."

"Oh, okay," she meowed. "What did you want to talk about?"

Tigerclaw flicked his tail. "Anything you want, I guess," he told her. "Dawn patrols can get pretty boring sometimes, so we might as well liven things up with a little conversation."

"Are we that boring, Tigerclaw?" Bluefur asked, looking rather amused. Tigerclaw, however, just shifted about uncomfortably.

"No, of course, not," he mumbled, staring down at his paws. "I just meant that–er, never mind."

"Well, if it's Fireheart you want to talk to, perhaps you two should go off on your own," Stormtail suggested. There was a strange gleam in his eyes that Fireheart couldn't decipher. "Head towards Fourtrees–we'll be staying along the RiverClan border. We'll meet you back at the camp later."

"Y-yeah, that sounds fine," Tigerclaw agreed, glancing nervously at Fireheart. "Er, is that okay with you?"

"Sure," Fireheart agreed, though she privately wondered why it was that everyone seemed so determined to get her alone with Tigerclaw.

They padded away from the group, meowing a quick goodbye to them as they left. As they walked towards Fourtrees, Tigerclaw's fur brushed repeatedly against Fireheart's, sending an odd tingling sensation down her spine. It wasn't exactly an unpleasant feeling, but she stepped to the side slightly all the same.

"Sorry," Tigerclaw muttered.

"No, it's fine," Fireheart meowed awkwardly. "I just...well, it doesn't matter."

What was going on with her today? It wasn't as though this was the first time she had patrolled alone with Tigerclaw, yet for some reason, doing so now was making her incredibly shy and awkward. Either way, it wasn't like her to behave in this manner. Maybe this was another side effect of skipping out on meals or something.

"I mean...if you didn't want to come with me, you didn't have to," Tigerclaw meowed after a few moments. He sounded sad at the thought, and Fireheart couldn't help wondering why. Why would it matter to him whether or not she wanted to patrol alone with him?

"No, I wanted to come," she reassured him, and despite her uncharacteristic feelings of shyness, she was telling the truth. "I guess I'm just wondering why everyone seems so insistent on getting us to patrol together all the time. I mean, have we ever been on a patrol without each other once in the past two moons?"

Tigerclaw frowned for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Now that you mention it, I think you might be right," he mused. He glanced at her and added, "I guess they really want us to end up together, don't they?"

Fireheart chuckled and shook her head, although she couldn't help noticing there was something odd about Tigerclaw's comment. It could easily be taken as a joke, but there was a strange look in his eyes behind the humor that she couldn't even begin to figure out. Besides that, there might have been some truth to his words. It _did _seem like a possibility that their Clanmates wanted them to become mates–after all, it was hard not to see the similarities between their behavior regarding her and Tigerclaw and their behavior regarding Bluefur and Thrushpelt. But if that was the case, she just wished she knew _why _they wanted her to get together with Tigerclaw so badly.

Briefly, she wondered what her life would be like if she did become mates with the dark tabby. She had no plans of doing so, at least not yet, but the possibility was intriguing nonetheless. If they got together, would they end up having kits? And if so, what would they name them?

_Hm...Squirrelkit is a cute name, _Fireheart thought to herself. Then she shook her head. _Wait, why am I even thinking about kit names anyway? It's not as if Tigerclaw and I are actually mates, and I'm definitely not expecting any kits. _

"Fireheart?" Tigerclaw meowed, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Fireheart meowed hastily. "Just thinking a bit, that's all."

"What were you thinking about?" the large dark tabby warrior asked.

"Oh, nothing much, just..." Fireheart trailed off, unsure how to continue. She didn't want to tell Tigerclaw that she had been imagining what being mates with him would be like, but she couldn't just tell him it was nothing. He would never believe her. In a moment of desperation, she blurted out, "Tawnyspots. He hasn't gotten better at all. Do you think he's going to stay as our deputy?"

_Perfect, _she thought. _Believable. _

Fortunately, Tigerclaw bought the lie. "Yeah, I can see what you mean," he agreed, nodding. "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling he won't last much longer. I heard Goosefeather and Featherwhisker talking the other day, and they don't seem to have much hope for him either."

"Who do you think will be chosen if Tawnyspots retires?" Fireheart asked.

Tigerclaw looked thoughtful. "Probably Adderfang or Stormtail," he meowed. "They're two of the most experienced warriors in the Clan, and everyone respects them."

"Adderfang or Stormtail?" the flame-colored warrior repeated in surprise. She didn't have anything against either cat, but she hadn't really considered either of them to be potential deputies before.

"Don't you like them?" Tigerclaw asked, his whiskers twitching in surprise.

"I do! Oh, yeah," Fireheart meowed quickly. "But I mean, they don't really seem like the leadership type, do they? Sunstar wouldn't just be choosing someone who can organize patrols and keep the Clan in line; he'd be choosing someone who might take his place as Clan leader one day. And, well, Adderfang and Stormtail just don't seem like the right cats for the job."

Tigerclaw paused for a moment, then nodded. "You have a point," he acknowledged. "Who do you think would be deputy, then?"

"Bluefur," Fireheart replied promptly. She knew she was probably biased due to her close friendship with the older warrior, but anyone who looked at Bluefur would know that she would make a good deputy and a fine leader. Bluefur was a tough mentor and she had high expectations, but she was also gentle, kind, and compassionate: exactly the qualities a good leader needed to have. "Or maybe Leopardfoot. Rosetail, maybe, although she doesn't seem like the authority type."

"They would be good candidates," the dark tabby agreed.

"I know who definitely won't become deputy, though," she added.

"Thistleclaw?" Tigerclaw guessed.

"I was actually going to say any of the prey in the fresh-kill pile, but sure, that works too."

Fireheart would swear for the rest of her life that the sound of Tigerclaw's laughter frightened off all the prey in the forest from Fourtrees to Highstones that day.


	17. Odd Conversations

Fireheart padded through the gorse tunnel with a load of prey, followed closely by Tigerclaw and Whitestorm. Sunstar had assigned her to lead her first hunting patrol that morning, so she had invited her two friends to come along with her. She had been planning on inviting another warrior as well, but the rest of the Clan was busy with border patrols. There had been reports of ShadowClan warriors crossing the border, and Sunstar wanted extra reinforcements to ensure that their territory was safe.

"I'm going to take some prey to the queens," Fireheart meowed to Tigerclaw and Whitestorm. "I'm sure Spottedkit, Redkit, and Willowkit are driving Swiftbreeze up the wall by now."

"Meet us by the warriors' den when you're done," Tigerclaw told her. "We can share a meal together."

Fireheart nodded and deposited her load into the fresh-kill pile, keeping a squirrel and two voles to take to the nursery. She turned and padded across the camp, flicking her tail in greeting to Stormtail and Brindlepaw as they padded into the camp. The young apprentice's fur was dusty, and Fireheart guessed that they had just completed a battle training session. Briefly, she wondered what it would feel like to have her own apprentice. Of course, she knew it wouldn't happen for quite a while, but it was nice to dream.

As she approached the entrance to the nursery, Fireheart was startled to meet Thistleclaw coming out. Averting her eyes, she stepped back to allow the older warrior to pass, wondering what he had been doing in the nursery. It wasn't as though he had any reason to be in there; none of the kits were his. As a matter of fact, he didn't even seem to _like _the queens–or any of the mollies in ThunderClan, for that matter. His only concern with them seemed to be telling them it was their duty to produce kits for the Clan.

_Maybe that's all he was up to, _Fireheart thought, deciding to brush it off for now.

She pushed her way through the entrance and was immediately greeted by Redkit, Willowkit, and Spottedkit bounding up to her. The three kits bounced around her excitedly, all of them talking at once.

"Hi, Fireheart!" Willowkit meowed cheerfully. "Did you bring that for us? Can we play with it?"

"We can't play with fresh-kill, mouse-brain," Redkit scoffed.

"Hey! I'm not a mouse-brain," the little gray molly complained.

"Redkit, be nice to your sister," Swiftbreeze scolded her children from her nest. "And Willowkit, your brother is right. Fresh-kill is precious, and we owe thanks to StarClan for providing it for our Clan. We eat our prey; we do not play with it."

Willowkit dipped her head submissively and meowed, "I'm sorry, Fireheart."

"It's alright, Willowkit," Fireheart meowed, feeling a twinge of amusement. "I've heard worse questions from cats older than you."

She padded over to Swiftbreeze and deposited the squirrel in front of her before padding over to White-eye and placing the two mice at her paws. The two queens nodded to her gratefully, and Swiftbreeze divided up the squirrel into smaller pieces for her kits to eat. Satisfied that everyone would be well-fed, Fireheart turned around and walked out of the nursery and headed over to join Tigerclaw and Whitestorm outside the warriors' den, pausing along the way to take a rabbit from the fresh-kill pile.

"How did everything go?" Tigerclaw asked as she sat down next to him. "I didn't see Thistleclaw coming out of the nursery, did I?"

"It went fine," Fireheart confirmed. "Although, Willowkit wanted to know whether she was allowed to play with her food."

Whitestorm and Tigerclaw chuckled, and she continued, "As for Thistleclaw, yes, he was in the nursery. I ran into him when I was coming in to take the prey to Swiftbreeze and White-eye."

"That's odd," Whitestorm remarked, looking puzzled. "Thistleclaw's never taken any sort of interest in the nursery, at least not since Snowfur died. Why would he be visiting the queens now?"

"Maybe he's on punishment again," Tigerclaw suggested.

Fireheart thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. That sounded like the most reasonable explanation to her. Thistleclaw must have done something to get himself in trouble with Sunstar again, and now he was being forced to care for the queens. She should have realized it before.

Then another thought struck her. If Thistleclaw was on punishment, surely he would have taken prey to the queens. Why hadn't Swiftbreeze and White-eye said anything about being fed already? She knew that queens ate more than other warriors in order to produce milk for their kits, but even they couldn't possibly eat two meals before sunhigh.

_Maybe he just hadn't gotten around to it yet, _Fireheart reasoned.

Even so, there was something about Thistleclaw's visit to the nursery that bothered her. She couldn't quite place her claw on what it was, but she knew that the gray and white warrior had been up to something. For a few moments, she contemplated going to Sunstar about it but decided against doing so. She didn't have any solid proof that Thistleclaw was causing trouble with the queens, and her leader had other things to worry about.

"Are you okay, Fireheart?" Tigerclaw asked, looking at her worriedly. Fireheart blinked and glanced over at her friend.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm okay," she meowed hastily. Deciding to change the subject, she went on, "So anyway, how long do you think it will be until Swiftbreeze's kits are apprenticed? They must nearly be old enough by now; they're not much younger than Brindlepaw and Frostpaw, and they've been training for almost four moons."

"I think it should be soon," Whitestorm answered. "Maybe within the next moon or so?"

"Who do you think will mentor them?" Fireheart wondered aloud.

"Only Sunstar knows, I guess," the white warrior meowed. "I think Featherwhisker was planning on taking Spottedkit as an apprentice, though. She likes to hang around him and now that Goosefeather is retired..."

Fireheart nodded and Tigerclaw spoke up, "It would be nice to mentor either Redkit or Willowkit, but I don't think I've been a warrior long enough for Sunstar to pick me yet. There are other more experienced warriors without apprentices. Rosetail, Goldenflower, and Lionheart haven't even had their first ones yet."

"You'd be a more likely candidate than me or Whitestorm, though," Fireheart pointed out. "We probably won't get to mentor any apprentices until White-eye's kits are six moons old, and they haven't even been born yet."

"Well, if we're lucky, maybe Sunstar will let us be mentors together," Tigerclaw suggested, his eyes almost lighting up at the thought.

"Maybe," she agreed, wondering why Tigerclaw seemed so interested in doing everything together with her–and, more importantly, why she felt a twinge of warmth at the thought of spending time with the dark tabby as well.

The three warriors continued their conversation for a while, joking and laughing at the expense of their Clanmates on occasion. Once she finished her meal, Fireheart decided to go out for a walk. There were still a good few hours left until sunset, leaving her plenty of time to stretch her legs and maybe check the borders before it was time to head to bed for the day. She got to her paws and turned to head for the gorse tunnel, only to be stopped just a few heartbeats later as Whitestorm called out to her.

"Where are you off to?" he asked curiously.

"I thought I'd go for a walk," Fireheart answered. A thought struck her, and she added, "You can come along too. I mean, if you want to, that is."

"Sure," Whitestorm agreed cheerfully. "Coming, Tigerclaw?"

However, the dark tabby shook his head apologetically. "I promised I would help check the elders' den for leaks. Apparently Larksong's been complaining about aching joints, and Featherwhisker wants to make sure the roof doesn't have any holes," he meowed. "Maybe next time, though."

"Alright, then," Fireheart agreed, trying to suppress a pang of disappointment.

She turned around and walked across the camp through the gorse tunnel, followed closely by Whitestorm. As they began their trek through the forest, Fireheart suddenly became aware of her friend looking at her with amusement clear in his yellow eyes. Puzzled, she glanced back at him, tilting her head to the side questioningly.

"What is it?" she asked. _What is he staring at he like that for? _

"Nothing at all," Whitestorm meowed, chuckling. "You just seem disappointed about something. Were you hoping that Tigerclaw would join us?"

"So what if I was?" Fireheart asked, feeling oddly defensive. "He's my friend. I can want to hang out with my friend if I want to."

The white tom just shook his head. "Well, you seem to be figuring things out, if nothing else."

"What do you mean by that?" she demanded. Whitestorm opened his mouth to respond, and she added quickly, "And don't you dare say, 'You'll figure it out in a few moons,'. I want a real answer _now_."

"There's no need to be pushy," Whitestorm replied mildly. Fireheart just glared at him, and he relented. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. But it's really not my place to tell you. If you want to know what everyone's been talking about, you need to ask Tigerclaw."

"Tigerclaw?" Fireheart repeated, her annoyance immediately replaced by bewilderment. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"He...well, you need to ask him," Whitestorm meowed finally. He paused for a moment, then asked, "But if you don't mind, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Fireheart agreed.

Whitestorm looked at her evenly, an unusually serious expression on his face. "I need to know right now–do you like Tigerclaw?"

"W-what?" the flame-colored molly exclaimed, taking a step back. "Why would you ask that?"

"Just answer the question, Fireheart," Whitestorm meowed.

Realizing that she had no other choice, Fireheart began pondering her friend's question. _Did _she like Tigerclaw? Her first instinct was to say yes, of course, she liked him. They were friends, after all. Why wouldn't she like one of her friends?

But who was she kidding? She knew perfectly well that wasn't what Whitestorm meant. His question was almost exactly like the one Tigerclaw had asked her two moons ago; there was no way this one didn't have the exact same meaning. The only problem was, she didn't know if she liked Tigerclaw in that way or not. Fireheart had never spent much time–or rather, any time–thinking about potential mates. It wasn't as if she _didn't _like him; she just hadn't put any thought into it before.

"I don't know," she admitted after several heartbeats. "I mean, I don't..._not _like him. It's just that I haven't really thought much about it. I've got other things on my mind right now."

"Fair enough," Whitestorm replied, nodding. "That's all I needed to know."

As they continued their walk, however, Fireheart found that she couldn't take her mind off of the white tom's question. She was curious too; she wanted to know if she liked Tigerclaw–and more importantly, she wanted to know why her spine tingled every time he brushed up against her pelt or why his amber gaze felt like a cool drink of water on a warm newleaf day. But she had no idea who to ask, nor did she have any intention of doing so. She had to preserve some sense of dignity, after all.

_What in StarClan's name is wrong with me? _Fireheart wondered, shaking her head to herself. _I don't have time to think about stuff like this. My duty is to my Clan and my warrior duties; nothing more, nothing less. I can't afford to let myself be distracted by anything. Whatever this...thing...that's going on with me and Tigerclaw is will just have to wait._

* * *

**Fireheart is stupid. **

**That is all. **

**Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	18. Opening Up, But Not Really

"You're joking."

"No, I'm being serious."

"You _must _be joking."

"Believe it or not, it's true."

Fireheart laughed and shook her head. "You mean to tell me that you've never heard of a parrot before?"

"No–but I'd love to hear what they are," Tigerclaw meowed. In all honesty, however, he wasn't particularly interested in learning what these strange creatures were. He just wanted an excuse to listen to Fireheart ramble on about any random topic.

"Well, they're not really that interesting. Just birds that Twolegs like to keep in their homes," the flame-pelted molly confessed. "They're really pretty though–their feathers are a lot brighter than the birds you see here in the forest. I guess that's probably why I've never seen any here; I mean, I imagine having feathers that bright would make hiding from predators a bit difficult."

"Probably," Tigerclaw agreed. "So Twolegs keep other animals as pets too?"

Fireheart nodded. "They keep all sorts of pets. Cats, obviously, and dogs too. There's also the occasional bird and even fish as well. My old housefolk used to have a pet goldfish, as a matter of fact."

"What do you mean 'used to'?" Whitestorm asked. Tigerclaw jumped slightly; he'd been so focused on Fireheart that he'd forgotten the white tom was there as well.

At the question, the ginger molly looked a bit sheepish. "Oh, well, I was bored one day and my siblings didn't exactly want me playing with them...so, well, I decided to play with the fish instead. I'm sure you can guess how that turned out."

Tigerclaw tried to picture Fireheart as a tiny kittypet, watching in confusion as her Twolegs' pet goldfish took its last breaths. The mental image was quite amusing, and he snorted with laughter. Fireheart just looked at him, half-amused, half-exasperated.

"I'm glad you find my story so entertaining," she meowed dryly.

"It's only because it's you," Tigerclaw admitted. "You could tell me a story about eating breakfast and I would still listen to every word."

Fireheart didn't seem to know what to say to that. "Er, well, thanks," she replied awkwardly.

Whitestorm glanced between the two of them and meowed, "I'm going to go see if the elders need any fresh bedding." Giving Tigerclaw an almost imperceptible nod of encouragement, he got to his paws and padded off in the direction of the elders' den.

Left alone with Fireheart, Tigerclaw could only watch as she chewed a mouse tail absentmindedly, her green eyes distant as she stared off into space. He was tempted to ask her what she was thinking about, but as usual, his ability to speak was failing him. After a few moments, however, she turned back to him with a questioning expression on her face.

"I almost forgot, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," the flame-colored molly meowed.

"Of course, what is it?" Tigerclaw asked.

She hesitated for a few heartbeats. "Well, I was just wondering if you happen to have any idea why everyone–"

The rest of her question was cut off, however, as Sunstar walked over from his den to speak to them. Tigerclaw looked up at his Clan leader, wondering what he wanted with them. If there was Clan business that needed to be taken care of, shouldn't he speak to Tawnyspots or one of the senior warriors instead?

"I apologize for interrupting you two," Sunstar meowed, his eyes gleaming. "But I wanted to congratulate both of you. You're about to reach yet another milestone in your growth as ThunderClan warriors."

The two warriors just looked at him. Sensing their confusion, the bright ginger tom clarified, "You're both about to become mentors. Swiftbreeze's kits are going to have their apprentice ceremony in a quarter moon, and I want Fireheart to mentor Redkit and Tigerclaw to mentor Willowkit."

Tigerclaw felt a thrill of excitement. He was going to mentor an apprentice! Even better, he would be a mentor alongside Fireheart, giving him even more of an excuse to spend time with her. He glanced over at the ginger molly and saw that her eyes were shining with delight.

"Thank you, Sunstar," she meowed, dipping her head.

"We won't let you down," Tigerclaw added.

"I know you won't," Sunstar replied. He nodded to the two of them and walked away, going over to join Thrushpelt's hunting patrol.

In the midst of his excitement, Tigerclaw almost forgot about Fireheart's earlier question. Once he had calmed down, however, he suddenly remembered that she had been meaning to ask him something. He turned to speak to his friend, who glanced up from her fresh-kill when she realized he wanted to talk to her.

"By the way, what was your question again?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, right." Fireheart swiped her tongue over her jaws and sat up. "Well, it's kind of a stupid question, actually, but I was just thinking about when you asked me if there was anyone in ThunderClan that I liked, and I was wondering...well, first of all, is there anyone _you _like?"

To say Tigerclaw was surprised by the question would be the understatement of the moon. He was so startled that for a few moments, he could only splutter and stammer awkwardly as he tried to formulate a coherent response. Out of everything she could have asked him, this hadn't even crossed his mind. Despite his shock, however, he felt a twinge of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he was finally making progress with her after all.

"Well, yes," he replied finally. "I've...actually liked her for a while now, as a matter of fact."

"Really?" Fireheart asked, looking surprised. "And...just how long is 'a while'?"

"Ever since we were apprentices," Tigerclaw admitted. _If that isn't a dead giveaway, I don't know what is. _

However, the flame-colored molly just looked even more surprised. "It's been that long and I didn't notice?" she meowed.

"No offense, Fireheart," Tigerclaw meowed slowly. "But you wouldn't notice if anyone liked someone even if they shouted it from the top of the Highrock."

Fireheart opened her mouth to protest, then shut it. "I suppose you're probably right," she agreed begrudgingly. She shook her head. "Anyway, what's she like? I assume she must be special if she's managed to keep your interest for this long."

"She is," he confirmed. "She's the most incredible cat I've ever met, an amazing warrior and an even better Clanmate. And she's the most beautiful cat in the forest, in every way possible. I've known that I want to be with her for moons now."

"But you couldn't because you were still an apprentice," the flame-pelted warrior guessed. Tigerclaw nodded. "What about now, though? Have you asked her to be your mate yet?"

Tigerclaw shook his head. "Not yet," he admitted ruefully. "It's a bit difficult to get her alone, and I don't really want an audience when I ask her."

"Fair enough," Fireheart conceded. She hesitated for a moment, then added, "But...how do you know you like her? Or, well, how did you finally figure it out?"

"I don't really know _how _I figured it out," the dark tabby meowed. "I think I just knew. Whenever she's around, every piece of fresh-kill tastes better, the sun is brighter and warmer, and it just feels as though nothing could ever go wrong. And when she's happy...well, she's beautiful no matter what, but especially so then. She just...glows. I don't know how else to put it, but I want to make sure she's always happy. Even if she doesn't want to be with me, I just want that for her."

"Wow," Fireheart meowed once he was finished speaking. "You really like this molly, don't you? She's a lucky one."

"Like her? I don't think there are many other cats who mean more to me than she does," Tigerclaw meowed in full honesty. "What about you? Is there someone you like?"

Fireheart hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I think so," she replied. "I mean, I don't know if I like him as much as you like...whoever she is, but he's an amazing cat and I really like being around him. But I don't think he'd ever look twice at someone like me."

"Well, if he can't appreciate you, then he's the biggest idiot in the forest," Tigerclaw meowed firmly.

"Thanks, Tigerclaw," she chuckled. "He is a nice cat, though. I just meant that I don't think he would like me because...well, I mean, I'm not really anything special."

Tigerclaw was tempted to refute her statement because it was just _wrong _in so many ways. She _was _special; there was nobody else in the entire forest like her. But he refrained if only to keep his secret safe. He knew that Fireheart liked someone now, but he still had no idea who it might be. The last thing he wanted was to confess his feelings to her and then learn that she was interested in someone else.

"I mean, you might not be the future leader of ThunderClan or descended from any of the ancient Clans that roamed the forest, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't like you," he meowed at last. "Just look at Bluefur. She's cool, don't get me wrong, but at the end of the day, she's still just an ordinary warrior. Yet that hasn't stopped Thrushpelt from mooning over her every moment of every day, has it?"

Fireheart thought for a few heartbeats, then meowed, "You have a point there."

"So, who is this tom anyway?" Tigerclaw asked, half hoping that it was him and half convinced that he couldn't possibly be the one she was talking about.

"Hey, that's not fair," Fireheart protested. "You didn't tell me who you like."

"You go first," he replied, well aware that he was only stalling at this point.

"No, you."

"You're going first."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"_Yes._"

"No. I can do this all day, you know. So I suggest you admit my superior skill in stubbornness and just tell me who you like."

Tigerclaw shook his head. They were never going to get anywhere at this rate. "Alright, you win," he meowed. He narrowed his eyes playfully and added, "But I'm going to figure it out, one way or another."

"Naturally," Fireheart deadpanned. She stood up and shook herself off. "Anyway, I'm sure we could continue this conversation all day, but I don't think Sunstar would be pleased if we spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around. What do you say we go for a quick hunt and check the borders?"

"Do I get to ask you more questions about your mystery tom?"

"_Tigerclaw_."

"Alright, I get it. Not funny."

Tigerclaw followed the flame-colored molly out of the camp, feeling the usual surge of contentment at getting to spend time with her. Maybe she wasn't ready to tell him who she liked yet, but that was fine with him. He had to look on the bright side, after all. At least he knew that she _did _like someone, meaning there was still a chance for him.

It also meant he had more time to figure out how to confess to her. And really, where was the harm in that?

* * *

** Ahahahahaha I just love torturing all of you. **

**So now Fireheart and Tigerclaw both know the other is interested in someone...but neither of them has figured out who. **

**On another note, they're going to be mentors! Fireheart gets Redkit and Tigerclaw gets Willowkit. Spottedkit is going to Featherwhisker right away, though, so Thrushpelt won't get an apprentice until later. **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**Olivewhisker: I was debating for a while on whether or not to include Spottedleaf's Heart, but I figured I could tie it into the story. There won't be anything explicit for a while, but once everyone realizes what Thistleclaw's up to...well, let's just say things won't be pretty. **

**Simitria: Fireheart is stupid, but she's adorably so. **

**draconic skysong: Yes, as a matter of fact, she is. **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: You got your wish! Fireheart and Tigerclaw are actually fully grown by now (Tigerclaw is a new senior warrior and Fireheart is nearing that stage). It's a bit difficult to keep track of everyone's ages since _Bluestar's Prophecy _has a lot of time skips, but Fireheart is roughly a year and a half old (18 moons) with Tigerclaw being about a moon older than her. She joined when she was six moons and trained for eight moons (two longer than normal because she's a good friend and didn't want to leave Whitepaw alone), and she's been a warrior for a little over four moons. **

**Now...should the confession be the next chapter? Or maybe I'll just make you wait for another ten. We'll see. :) **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	19. Confessions

Most of the time, Fireheart prided herself on being cool and confident. She could take all of Thistleclaw's insults while resisting the temptation to slash her claws across his face. She could face down an entire ShadowClan patrol without the slightest hint of fear. And she could face the judgmental stares of the cats from the other Clans who still thought, even after all this time, that she wasn't fit to be a warrior simply because she was born in Twolegplace.

At the moment, however, cool and confident were the last words Fireheart would use to describe herself. Somehow, she had allowed Tigerclaw to trick her into telling him that she liked someone, and now it was only a matter of time until he figured out that he was the one she'd been talking about. Ordinarily, she might not have been bothered by this, but now that she knew he was also interested in someone, she would rather eat her own tail than admit her feelings for the dark tabby. Even though Tigerclaw hadn't actually mentioned any names, Fireheart just knew there was no way confessing was going to bring anything other than pain and humiliation.

"So anyway, about this mysterious love interest of yours..." Tigerclaw spoke up after a while.

Fireheart let out a sigh. "I already told you, Tigerclaw. I'm not going to tell you who it is."

Unfortunately, her friend wasn't so easily fazed. Instead, he merely twitched his ear and replied, "That's fine. I guess I'll just have to try to guess, won't I?"

"Now, wait just one moment," Fireheart protested. "If you're going to try to guess who I like, the least you could do is let me try to figure out who _you _like."

She was certain that she had him trapped now. There was no way he was going to let her figure out which molly he was interested in. If there was one thing she knew about toms, it was that they hated appearing vulnerable. Her secret was safe.

"Fine by me," Tigerclaw meowed, flicking his tail.

_Well, that didn't go according to plan at all. _

Feeling defeated, Fireheart meowed, "Alright, then you go first."

"Okay, then." Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, ducking underneath a low-hanging branch as they continued on through the forest. "Well, you did say it was a _he_, so I think we can rule out any of the mollies in ThunderClan. And I assume it's not Thistleclaw either."

"Great StarClan, no," the flame-colored warrior exclaimed. "I can't imagine ever liking _him _of all cats."

Tigerclaw laughed before continuing, "Does he have a mate?"

"No," Fireheart answered, before adding quickly, "At least, I don't think he does."

"So it can't be Adderfang or Sparrowpelt, then," the dark brown tom concluded. "And it's probably not Stormtail either, I assume."

"Stormtail has a mate?" Fireheart asked in surprise, momentarily distracted from the conversation at hand.

"Dappletail," Tigerclaw meowed. "Or, well, everyone thinks they're mates. They certainly spend more time together than normal friends, but nothing has ever been confirmed, so..."

Fireheart just nodded. Now that she thought about it, Dappletail and Stormtail _did _spend an unusual amount of time together. He must have started pursuing her after Moonflower's death. Then again, Bluefur didn't seem particularly close with her father, and Fireheart wondered if, perhaps, his relationship with Dappletail had anything to do with that.

"Anyway," Tigerclaw continued, snapping her back to reality. "Is the cat...Sunstar, by any chance?"

"Sunstar?" Fireheart repeated in disbelief. "He's too old for me!"

The tabby warrior chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right," he agreed sheepishly. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked, "So, I know you said he doesn't have a mate, but do you know if he likes anyone?"

_Oh, no, no, no, _Fireheart thought, feeling a surge of dread. _Please don't ask that. Please, no. Anything but that. _

She wanted to claw herself for being so stupid. Of course, of _course_, he just had to ask a question whose answer was sure to be a dead giveaway. What was she supposed to do now? Maybe she could lie and say she didn't know...but no, he would see right through her. Subtlety had never been her strong suit.

"Er, well, I–" she stammered awkwardly, not entirely sure how to continue. _StarClan, get me out of this! _

As if her warrior ancestors had heard her prayers, at that moment, Thrushpelt emerged from the trees, clutching a squirrel in his jaws. Tigerclaw looked a bit annoyed at the interruption, but Fireheart didn't think she'd ever been happier to see the sandy-gray warrior in her entire life. He padded over to them, setting his squirrel down so he could speak properly.

"Hello there, you two," Thrushpelt greeted them. "Are you off on a hunt, then?"

"Yes, we are," Fireheart answered, unable to hide her relief at his interruption. "Er, it looks like you've caught a nice squirrel there."

Thrushpelt's whiskers twitched. "Thank you, Fireheart. I'm just going to take this back to the camp. You two have fun."

_No, wait, don't leave! _

"Uh, actually, maybe I should help you out," Fireheart meowed quickly. "You know, better safe than sorry. Foxes and badgers and all that. Sorry Tigerclaw, but we can continue our conversation later."

"Oh, er, alright, then," Tigerclaw agreed, looking rather confused. "I'll just hunt at Fourtrees for a bit before I go back to the camp, then."

With that, he turned around and walked off in the direction of Fourtrees. Breathing a sigh of relief, Fireheart turned around and followed Thrushpelt back in the direction of the camp. She knew she was being immature, but she didn't particularly care. At least it was better than Tigerclaw finding out about her stupid feelings for him. Fireheart was seriously starting to wonder if it was possible to eat her own heart out.

"So, what was that all about anyway?" Thrushpelt asked suddenly. "You seemed oddly eager to get away from Tigerclaw just now."

"Oh, that," Fireheart meowed evasively. "Well, it's nothing, really. Just...stuff."

"Does it have anything to do with you being in love with him?" the older warrior guessed.

At that moment, Fireheart was exceedingly grateful that she wasn't eating or drinking anything. "W-what?" she stammered. "W-why would you ask something like that?"

"There's no point in denying it, Fireheart. The entire Clan can see it," Thrushpelt meowed quietly.

"Oh no," Fireheart groaned. There was no way she was going to get out of this now.

"Sorry, Fireheart, but you're not exactly good at hiding your feelings," the sandy-gray tom meowed wryly. "Why don't you just tell him already?"

"Tell him? Are you insane?" She shook her head. "I can't do that. There's no way he feels the same way."

"How do you know that?" Thrushpelt asked reasonably.

"Well, I know he's also in love with someone, and judging by how he described her, I know it couldn't possibly be me," the flame-pelted warrior replied. "He made her sound like the greatest gift StarClan has ever bestowed upon the forest, but I'm nothing special. I'm just a regular warrior, same as anyone else."

"That's what being in love does to you. When you're in love with someone, even a pile of mouse dung can look as beautiful as a sunset on a clear evening."

"Oh, thanks, Thrushpelt," Fireheart meowed dryly. "It's so flattering to know that you think I look like a pile of mouse dung."

"I didn't mean it like that, Fireheart," Thrushpelt sighed, looking a bit exasperated. "I only meant that just because _you _don't think you're anything special doesn't mean that Tigerclaw thinks the same thing."

Fireheart just shook her head. Maybe there was a chance–but no, she couldn't do it. She just knew there was no way Tigerclaw loved her. He was in love with someone else; there was no way of denying it. Thrushpelt's reasoning might apply to other cats, but it certainly didn't work for her.

"Look," Thrushpelt meowed quietly. "I know you're worried he's going to reject you–believe me, I understand that completely. But it would be worse if you didn't try at all because then you'll always be left wondering what might have happened. He hasn't rejected you yet; there's still every possibility that he's going to say yes. But if you don't say anything, then in a few moons or so, you might find that he's moved on and has another mate and kits."

Fireheart paused for a moment. What Thrushpelt was saying did sound reasonable, she had to admit. "I suppose so..."

"Go on, then," the older warrior meowed encouragingly.

Her mind made up, Fireheart meowed a quick goodbye to Thrushpelt and raced off towards Fourtrees before she had a chance to back out. This was it. In just a few moments, this day was either going to turn out to be one of the best or worst ones of her life depending on how Tigerclaw responded to the confession she was desperately trying to work out how to say. That is if she managed to figure out how to get her mouth working again by the time she found him.

* * *

Tigerclaw had just finished burying yet another mouse under a pile of leaves when he heard Fireheart's voice calling out to him. Turning around, he saw the flame-colored molly running towards him, looking a bit disheveled but still just as beautiful as ever. She came to a halt in front of him, panting slightly as she tried to catch her breath.

"Are you okay?" he asked, more than a little alarmed. "You aren't being chased, are you?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Fireheart meowed once she was able to speak again. "I was just...coming to look for you."

"You were?" Tigerclaw asked, trying to suppress the rising feeling of hope inside of him. She probably just wanted to finish hunting with him. "Er, did you need something?"

"Not exactly. I mean, yes. Well, I guess it depends on how you look at it." She looked rather nervous, which wasn't like her at all. Tigerclaw's interest was piqued even further. If she was acting this way, then whatever she needed had to be important. "I just, um, needed to tell you something."

She hesitated for a few moments, shifting about nervously. Tigerclaw simply waited patiently for her to speak, still trying to force down the small seed of hope growing in his chest. He was being ridiculous, he told himself. There was no way she was nervous because of him, and even if she was, it definitely wasn't because of the reason he wanted it to be. Not that he wanted her to be nervous around him, of course.

Finally, after several moments, Fireheart finally opened her mouth to start talking again. Unfortunately, all that came out was a bit of incoherent mumbling.

"Er, sorry?" Tigerclaw meowed apologetically. "Could you repeat that? I didn't quite catch it."

"I–I love you," Fireheart repeated, a bit louder this time. Tigerclaw froze, and she cringed. "Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. It's just that Thrushpelt told me I should tell you–you know, just to get it out in the open. So here we are. You don't have to say anything, I already know that you don't like me, but I just figured..."

As she rambled on, Tigerclaw barely heard a word. He was too busy trying to figure out if he had somehow died and gone to StarClan. Logically speaking, he knew he had to say something in response, but his mind could only focus on one thing at the moment.

_She loves me. _

_She loves ME. _

_She LOVES me. _

_SHE LOVES ME. _

Without thinking, Tigerclaw pressed his cheek against Fireheart's. He felt the flame-colored warrior stiffen ever so slightly for a moment before relaxing against him. Purring almost too hard to speak, Tigerclaw curled his tail around her and licked her gently between her ears.

"I love you too," he whispered.


	20. Redpaw, Spottedpaw, and Willowpaw

A few days later, Tigerclaw was awoken by the sound of Sunstar summoning the Clan for a meeting. Yawning, he blinked the sleep from his eyes and turned to nudge Fireheart awake. She groaned softly before blinking her eyes open, looking up at him with a questioning expression on her face.

"Wake up," he whispered. "Sunstar just called a meeting."

"Alright," Fireheart meowed, yawning. "Lead the way, then."

The two cats padded their way out of the warriors' den to join their Clanmates at the base of the Highrock. They walked over to sit next to Bluefur, Rosetail, and Thrushpelt, who nodded at them in greeting. As he glanced around the clearing, Tigerclaw noticed Redkit, Willowkit, and Spottedkit receiving a thorough washing from their mother, Swiftbreeze. A jolt of excitement hit him like lightning as he realized what was about to happen. At long last, Tigerclaw and Fireheart were going to become mentors.

"Clanmates, we are gathered today for one of the most important moments of a ThunderClan warrior's life," Sunstar meowed from the top of the Highrock. "Spottedkit, Redkit, and Willowkit have reached their sixth moon, and it is time for them to begin their training as apprentices."

A murmur of approval rose from the surrounding cats. With only two apprentices in training at the moment, the Clan was eager to increase their ranks, especially since Brindlepaw and Frostpaw would be due for their warrior ceremonies soon. Even Thistleclaw looked approving, almost _pleased_, at the thought of having three new apprentices in the Clan. But as Tigerclaw looked closer, he noticed that the spiky-furred tom's attention was entirely fixed on Spottedkit. He frowned slightly; what was Thistleclaw thinking?

"Redkit," Sunstar meowed, snapping Tigerclaw's attention back to his leader. "From this moment on, until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Redpaw. Fireheart, you will be Redpaw's mentor. You were trained excellently by Bluefur and you have shown yourself to be a warrior of fierce courage and quick thinking. I trust that you will pass on all the skills you possess on to this apprentice."

Fireheart dipped her head and padded forward to touch noses with Redpaw. Once their ceremony was complete, they walked back over to sit with the rest of their friends. Out of the corner of his eye, Tigerclaw saw Bluefur give Fireheart a gentle nudge of congratulations.

"Willowkit, from this moment on, you will be known as Willowpaw," Sunstar meowed, turning to the pale gray molly. "Your new mentor will be Tigerclaw. Tigerclaw, you had an excellent mentor in Leopardfoot and you have shown yourself to be a warrior of compassion and loyalty. I trust that you will pass on all the skills you possess and the knowledge you gained from Leopardfoot onto your new apprentice."

As Tigerclaw walked forward to touch noses with Willowpaw, he couldn't help reflecting on how strange it was that Sunstar would choose his compassion as one of his most noteworthy traits. He owed that to Leopardfoot and Fireheart, he knew. Well, mostly to Fireheart–after all, if she hadn't wandered into the forest that day, he would have been mentored by Thistleclaw for the duration of his apprenticeship. If that had happened, would he still be as compassionate as he was today?

_Not likely, _Tigerclaw thought, gently guiding Willowpaw back over to where her brother was sitting next to Fireheart.

Now, it was Spottedkit's turn. The pretty tortoiseshell molly was looking up at Sunstar, her amber eyes shining with excitement. And once again, Thistleclaw's own yellow gaze was fixed intently on the soon-to-be medicine cat apprentice. The expression in them was hard to read, but nevertheless, Tigerclaw felt a shiver run down his spine. Beside him, Fireheart let out a soft growl, and he saw that she was glaring at the gray and white warrior. Clearly, she didn't like the interest he was showing towards Spottedkit either.

"We have a special mentor for our last kit," the ThunderClan leader announced. "Featherwhisker has announced that he would like to take on an apprentice, and Spottedkit has agreed to train under him. So Spottedkit," he meowed, looking down at the small molly, "is it your wish to train under Featherwhisker and learn the ways of a medicine cat?"

There was no hesitation in Spottedkit's voice. Her eyes shining, she lifted her head up proudly and replied, "It is."

"Then from this moment on, you will be known as Spottedpaw. At the next meeting between the medicine cats, you will travel with Featherwhisker to the Moonstone to receive the blessing of our warrior ancestors. Good luck, young Spottedpaw. The good wishes of your Clanmates go with you."

Spottedpaw nodded respectfully and walked over to sit beside Featherwhisker. As she took her place beside her new mentor, several cheers rose for the three apprentices.

"Redpaw! Willowpaw! Spottedpaw!"

"Well done, you three," Swiftbreeze purred, licking each of her kits on the head. "Now, you make sure to listen to whatever your mentors tell you to do, understood?"

"We will," Redpaw promised, nodding fervently.

"We won't let you down," Willowpaw added.

"Don't worry. Your mother and I know you two will make fine warriors," Adderfang meowed, padding over to join them. "And Spottedpaw will become an excellent medicine cat."

Slowly, the crowd began to disperse as the rest of the Clan left to take care of their own duties. Willowpaw and Redpaw bounded up to their mentors, looking as eager as newborn kits seeing the camp for the first time.

"What are we doing first, Tigerclaw?" Willowpaw asked, practically bouncing up and down. "Can we start our training now? Hunting? Fighting? Anything! I want to become a warrior as soon as possible."

Tigerclaw glanced up at the sky. The sun was about to set, and he knew they wouldn't have time for a training session today. "Not yet," he decided. "It's going to be dark by the time we're ready to go, and you still need to prepare your nests in the apprentices' den. We'll go out first thing tomorrow morning."

"We'll join you," Fireheart spoke up. "What do you say we go on a tour of ThunderClan's territory tomorrow?"

The two apprentices nodded eagerly before racing off towards their new den. Tigerclaw watched them go, feeling a twinge of amusement. He could still remember the excitement he felt on his first day as an apprentice, as well as his declaration that he would be the best apprentice in the Clan. Granted, he hadn't had much competition at the time–or any at all, rather, considering he had been the only apprentice in training until Fireheart came along.

"Those two certainly are excited," Bluefur chuckled, walking over to join them. "Then again, who can blame them? I remember being like that for my apprentice ceremony."

"So do I." Leopardfoot was there as well. "I also remember that Pinestar didn't say anything about the ceremony beforehand, so you showed up covered in mud!"

"_Leopardfoot,_" the blue-gray molly groaned as Fireheart snorted with laughter. Tigerclaw tried to suppress his own snickers as he imagined Bluefur as a young kitten, her pelt covered in mud as Pinestar talked about how she would make an excellent warrior one day.

_Well, she's one of the frontrunners to replace Tawnyspots as Clan deputy, so I guess being all muddy didn't make too much of a difference, _he thought.

As he walked back to his nest in the warriors' den, Tigerclaw felt a wave of contentment as he curled up beside Fireheart. He had his first apprentice, the respect and comradery of his Clanmates, and finally, _finally_, he was mates with the cat who meant more to him than anything in the world. The cat he had been under Thistleclaw's influence seemed like a distant memory now.

* * *

**Good news: Tigerclaw and Fireheart are mentors, and Spottedpaw is going to be a medicine cat. **

**Bad news: Thistleclaw is still a piece of shit. **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: I love Thrushpelt, honestly. As for Fireheart and Tigerclaw having kits, that won't happen for a while. Fireheart does want kits at some point, but she wants to spend a good few seasons as a warrior before she has to settle down. She and Bluefur will actually have their kits around the same time, which in this story will be a few moons after Redtail and Willowpelt become warriors and a few moons before Spottedpaw receives her medicine cat name. So she'll be a little over two and a half years old by the time she and Tigerclaw decide to have kits. **

**davidtheumbreon: Oh, believe me, EVERYONE is relieved that they've finally gotten together. Fireheart and Tigerclaw don't know it, but there was actually a bet going around the Clan as to how long it would take the two of them to confess. **

**Simitria: Thrushpelt best cat. **

**scarlett quagmire: The "he" in that sentence was actually referring to the tom that Fireheart liked. At the time, Tigerclaw knew she liked _someone_, but he had no idea who it could be, so that question was part of the guessing game. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	21. The First Tour

The sun was just barely above the horizon as Fireheart and Tigerclaw led their apprentices out of the camp. Redpaw and Willowpaw bounded along eagerly, looking around themselves at the forest with wide eyes. Fireheart suppressed a purr of amusement, remembering her own amazement when she saw her territory for the first time. Of course, Bluefur had made sure that she knew the forest as well as the back of her paw by the day's end, and she aimed to do the same with her own apprentice.

Soon, the four cats had arrived at the base of Sunningrocks. Once they were there, Fireheart came to a stop and turned around to face the apprentices.

"Right," she meowed, mostly to Redpaw. "This is Sunningrocks. We can't go past this spot at the moment since this land belongs to RiverClan, but I want you to take note of what you smell here."

Redpaw sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "It smells awful!" he exclaimed. "Like–like...water, but...rotten, somehow."

"That's RiverClan scent you're smelling," Fireheart informed him, suppressing a chuckle. "Remember it well."

"Why does Sunningrocks belong to RiverClan if it's on our side of the river?" Willowpaw asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Sunningrocks has been fought over by our Clans for countless seasons. Right now, it belongs to RiverClan because they won it from us last time," Tigerclaw answered. "That will be remedied soon enough. But for now, we should move on to our next stop."

They continued on their way for a while, stopping every so often to quiz their apprentices on various landmarks. Redpaw and Willowpaw were fast learners and were able to answer most of their questions with quick accuracy. There were a few mistakes here and there, but that was to be expected on the first day, and Fireheart and Tigerclaw did their best to make sure the apprentices understood where they had gone wrong before moving on. Eventually, they reached the Owl Tree, and Fireheart turned to Redpaw and Willowpaw once again.

"This is the Owl Tree," she meowed, gesturing towards it with her tail. "Owls are birds that eat the same prey that we do. They're also a danger to cats. They only come out at night, however, so as long as you only hunt around here during the daytime until your fighting technique is perfected, you'll be able to avoid them."

"However," Tigerclaw interjected. "Despite the threat to ThunderClan they pose, owls can be useful as well. Can either of you take a guess as to how?"

Both of the apprentices just stared at them blankly, so Fireheart prompted, "I'll give you a hint. What do owls have that we don't?"

Redpaw's face screwed up in thought as he pondered the answer. "Wings?" he meowed hesitantly.

"Well done, Redpaw," Fireheart meowed approvingly. "And if owls have wings, what can they do that we can't?"

"Fly," Willowpaw replied promptly. As soon as he heard his sister's response, Redpaw's eyes lit up in understanding.

"Oh! I get it now!" the tortoiseshell tom exclaimed. "Since owls can fly, they can get a view of the forest from up high. We can track owls at night to find prey because they'll be able to see better than we can."

"Exactly right, Redpaw," Fireheart praised her apprentice. "We'll save the owl tracking for another time, though. Right now, we need to make our way over to the Twolegplace border."

"That's where you were born, right?" Redpaw asked, hurrying along as his mentor turned and began heading in the direction of her former home. "Thistleclaw mentioned that when he visited the nursery one time."

"Yes, I was born in Twolegplace," Fireheart confirmed, feeling an unpleasant twinge in her stomach at the mention of the gray and white warrior. It wasn't the fact that he was apparently going around talking about her past that bothered her but the fact that he had been going to visit the nursery multiple times. She wanted to ask Redpaw what he had been doing, but she knew it wasn't the time. "I decided to go exploring one day when I was six moons old and I...well ran into Tigerclaw, Bluefur, and Thistleclaw."

"Really? That was when you and Tigerclaw met?" Willowpaw asked, her blue eyes shining. If she was hoping for a 'love at first sight' story, she was going to be very disappointed. "Did you like him then?"

"No," Fireheart replied, chuckling at the memory. "As a matter of fact, I thought he was an arrogant, stuck up idiot whose head was so big, it was a miracle he knew how to stand. But that's a story for another time. We're here now, so I want you to remember a few things. First of all, what do you smell?"

Redpaw and Willowpaw sniffed the air. "I think I smell crowfood," the tortoiseshell apprentice volunteered.

"And something else too," Willowpaw added. "It's better than the crowfood stench, but it doesn't smell like ThunderClan either. I don't really know how to describe it. But it's definitely a cat."

"The crowfood stench is the scent of rogues," Tigerclaw meowed. "And Willowpaw, what you're smelling is the scent of kittypets."

"Now, both kittypets and rogues are cats outside of the Clans, but there are a few key differences," Fireheart spoke up. "For one, kittypets belong to Twolegs and mostly stay inside their homes all day. Rogues are cats that don't have Twoleg owners but don't belong to one of the four Clans either. They're also much more likely to attack when they see a Clan cat, unlike kittypets who usually flee."

"What about loners?" Redpaw asked, tilting his head to the side. "Swiftbreeze was talking about some loners she met once. What kind of cats are they?"

"Loners are a sort of in-between of kittypets and rogues," Tigerclaw answered. "Just like rogues, they don't have Twoleg owners and usually roam wherever they please. However, they tend to be on the more docile side like kittypets."

"Now, it's important to remember that just because rogues, loners, and kittypets usually behave in a certain manner doesn't mean every single one will," Fireheart told them. "And no matter what, if you see any on our territory, chase them off. Don't use your claws if it's not necessary, but if it is, do whatever it takes to drive them away. It's important to send a message that they're not welcome here."

Redpaw looked at her in confusion. "But you were born in kittypet and you didn't leave," he pointed out.

"True," she acknowledged, although she didn't elaborate any further. Now wasn't the time to get into a detailed history of her past. "That was a bit of a unique case, however. Perhaps I'll tell you the story another day, but we don't have time right now. Anyway, you shouldn't make an example of my case. We can't go around accepting every cat that happens to cross the border into ThunderClan."

"Why not?" her apprentice asked. "If it worked out with you, then surely it could work with other cats."

"It's not just a question of whether or not an outsider _could _become a warrior, Redpaw," Tigerclaw explained patiently. "There's more to being a member of ThunderClan than hunting and fighting. What matters the most is whether or not a cat is loyal and willing to sacrifice anything, even their lives, to protect their Clanmates. Rogues and loners, who are used to satisfying their own interests, and kittypets, who are usually pampered and rely on others to care for them, would have difficulty adapting to our lifestyle."

"But it worked with Fireheart," Willowpaw meowed, looking confused.

"That's true," Fireheart's mate agreed. "There are always exceptions, just as Fireheart said."

"Even so, though," the flame-colored molly interjected. "It's still better to just drive off any trespassers. An outsider might be able to learn the ways of the Clans, but that doesn't mean it would be practical to accept them. We already have enough mouths to feed in ThunderClan, and our territory only extends so far, as I'm sure you've learned today."

"Why did Sunstar let you in, though?" Redpaw asked again, though not maliciously. He seemed genuinely curious.

With a small sigh, Fireheart realized that she was going to have to try to explain as best she could. She wasn't exactly an expert in gray areas, so to speak, but she knew it was her duty to teach Redpaw everything he needed to know. Frowning in thought, she tried to figure out the best way to explain her situation to her apprentice.

"Well, as I mentioned earlier, my circumstances were unique," she meowed finally. "After I fought Tigerclaw, I had several wounds that I knew were going to leave scars. Usually, when kittypets get hurt, they're taken to the Cutter for treatment. But I couldn't go back."

"But why?" Redpaw looked even more puzzled than before.

"Because most Twolegs don't want kittypets that look like they have something wrong with them," Fireheart explained. "When a Twoleg picks out a cat to keep as a pet, they typically look for the most beautiful ones they can find. Kittypets have gone missing after they went home to their owners after an accident that left them permanently scarred or disfigured. I knew that if I went back that day, my Twolegs would likely do the same to me. Bluefur took me to ThunderClan because I had nowhere else to go."

Her apprentice nodded in understanding. "I think I get it," he meowed. Then he frowned again. "But what about rogues and loners? They don't really have anywhere to go either, so why don't we ever offer to let them join?"

"Rogues and loners are used to not having a place to call home. Kittypets aren't," Fireheart reminded him. "And remember what we told you earlier. Just because they can become warriors doesn't mean it makes sense to let them join."

"Besides," Tigerclaw spoke up again. "Most of them seem to be perfectly happy with their lives. I doubt they would be interested in joining the Clans anyway."

They continued on through the rest of the forest, covering every single one of ThunderClan's borders and landmarks. By the time they arrived back at the camp, the sun was beginning to set. Fireheart was exhausted and her paws felt as though they were about to fall off. Despite her weariness, however, her heart was soaring with pride. Redpaw was an incredibly gifted apprentice–as was Willowpaw, for that matter. More importantly, he wanted to _learn_. He wanted to understand why things were the way they were, and he asked all the right questions. She was certain that, if he kept it up, he would be a warrior in no time.

After dismissing their apprentices, Fireheart and Tigerclaw each took a piece of fresh-kill from the pile and walked over to eat beside the nettle patch. Bluefur and Whitestorm were already there, chewing on their own pieces of prey. Fireheart settled herself down next to her former mentor with Tigerclaw taking the spot beside her.

"Welcome back, you two," Bluefur greeted them. "How did the first-day tour go?"

"It went fine, actually, it went great," Fireheart meowed sincerely. "Redpaw's a natural. I'm looking forward to teaching him how to hunt and fight. If today was any indication, he'll be able to figure things out with no problem."

"What about Willowpaw?" Whitestorm asked.

"She was brilliant as well," Tigerclaw answered. "A bit more on the quiet side than her brother, but when she answered a question, she usually got it right."

"So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Bluefur inquired.

Fireheart thought for a few moments. In truth, she hadn't planned what the next day's training would include. Most of the time, mentors taught their apprentices proper hunting techniques before they got to fighting, but something told Fireheart to switch it up. Not that there was anything wrong with teaching Redpaw how to hunt first, but she wanted to make sure he could protect himself from enemies.

"I'm taking Redpaw battle training," she replied after a few moments. "I want him to learn how to defend himself before anything else."

"A wise decision," her former mentor commended. "What about you and Willowpaw, Tigerclaw?"

"I think I'm going to take her hunting," the dark tabby answered.

"Well, let's hope you and Fireheart can stand being apart from each other for a few hours," Whitestorm joked.

"_Whitestorm_," Fireheart groaned. "Don't worry. We know how to be professional. Sunstar named us mentors for a reason."

"Really?" her friend asked, looking at her in mock confusion. "And what reason would that be?"

"Because he just knew that Fireheart and I were meant to be mentors together."

"Because of my amazing wit and charm, obviously."

"You flatter yourself too much, Fireheart, dear."

"Yeah, yeah, Bluefur. You wish you were as cool as me."

After she finished her meal, Fireheart headed over to the warriors' den, where she curled up in her nest and fell asleep almost instantly. A few moments later, Tigerclaw padded in as well and curled up next to her, but she was already fast asleep by then and didn't notice. It had been a long day–a good day, but still, a long one–and there was even more work to do in the morning. If tomorrow's training session was going to be a success, she would need as much energy as possible.


	22. Warning Signs

"Hold _still_, Redpaw! Honestly, if you keep fidgeting, I'm never going to be able to treat your bite."

"I'm trying! It still stings, you know."

Fireheart purred with amusement as she watched Spottedpaw attempting to treat a wound on Redpaw's shoulder. Her apprentice had been hunting a rat earlier that afternoon that turned on him and bit him. He seemed fine, but she had taken him to see Featherwhisker so he could get it treated in case of an infection. As it turned out, however, the medicine cat was out collecting herbs, meaning Spottedpaw was left to care for her brother.

"Not bad, Spottedpaw," Fireheart remarked, observing the job the younger molly had done. "You're a natural at healing."

"Thank you, Fireheart," Spottedpaw purred, her amber eyes glowing with pride.

"Can we go back out now?" Redpaw asked hopefully. "My shoulder feels loads better and I wanted to try catching a squirrel."

"Oh, no you don't," his sister meowed sharply. "You're going to stay in the camp for the rest of the day. I don't want you aggravating your injury again."

Redpaw looked over at Fireheart, but the flame-colored molly just shook her head. "Sorry, Redpaw, but I'm not going to argue with a medicine cat."

"Aw." He frowned in disappointment. "Okay, then."

Fireheart chuckled quietly, then stiffened as another scent wafted over her scent glands. She turned her head to see Thistleclaw pushing his way into the medicine den, his jaws full of pigeon feathers. His eyes narrowed when he saw her, and Fireheart returned his gaze coldly. Although she had no way of knowing what business he had in visiting the medicine den, she knew he couldn't be up to any good.

"Thistleclaw," she greeted the older warrior sharply. "What are you doing here?"

"That's none of your business, but if you must know, I came to give these to Spottedpaw for her nest," Thistleclaw snapped.

"Is that so?" Fireheart asked, sneering. "How very..._caring _of you, Thistleclaw. Tell me, what did you do to get yourself in trouble again?"

The spiky-furred warrior growled at her and stormed over to Spottedpaw, dropping the feathers at her paws with a huff. Spottedpaw took the feathers and muttered what Fireheart assumed was some sort of thanks, but she couldn't help noticing that the tortoiseshell molly didn't meet Thistleclaw's gaze. She also couldn't help noticing that Spottedpaw hurried over to her nest with her feathers as quickly as possible, as though she couldn't wait to get out of his presence.

_Can't say I blame her, _Fireheart thought wryly, watching as Thistleclaw turned around and stalked out of the den. Shaking her head, she turned to look down at Redpaw, who was staring up at her with wide eyes.

"Sorry about that," she apologized softly. "He just annoys me, that's all."

The younger cat purred, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "That's okay. You're right, he is annoying."

Fireheart shook her head. "Come on, we should get going. I'm sure Spottedpaw has a lot of work to do until Featherwhisker gets back. Go and get something to eat, but don't leave the camp."

Redpaw nodded and scampered out of the medicine den, heading straight for the fresh-kill pile. Fireheart followed more slowly, meowing a quick goodbye to Spottedpaw as she left. As she stepped out into the clearing, she looked around for something to do. She had been planning on training with Redpaw all day and as such hadn't been assigned to any patrols. Now that he would be spending the rest of the day recovering from his rat bite, however, her entire afternoon looked to be open.

"Fireheart! Over here!"

Bluefur was standing at the edge of the gorse tunnel with Rosetail, Sparrowpelt, and Lionheart beside her. When Fireheart looked over at her, she waved her tail and beckoned for her to come over.

"What are you doing? I thought you were going to take Redpaw out today," the blue-gray warrior meowed by way of greeting.

"I was, but Redpaw got a rat bite and he's supposed to take the rest of the day off," Fireheart answered.

"I see," Bluefur murmured. "Well, we're just about to leave on a border patrol. You can come along if you want."

"Sure, thanks," she agreed gratefully. The last thing she wanted to do was lie around in camp all afternoon. "Let's go, then."

She fell in line behind her former mentor as she led the way out of the camp. It was a clear day out, and Fireheart sent a silent word of thanks to StarClan for the good weather. Leaf-fall would be ending soon, and the more clear weather they had until leaf-bare, the better for hunting. The lack of rain certainly wasn't unwelcome either, although Fireheart was fortunate to have shorter fur than most of her Clanmates.

"Hey, I almost forgot," Bluefur meowed suddenly. "Thistleclaw came out of the medicine den looking as if he wanted to claw someone's fur out. Any idea what that was all about?"

"Oh yeah, that," Fireheart replied, grimacing as she remembered her argument with the gray and white tom. "I mean, it wasn't much. Just a friendly discussion between two Clanmates. You know, the usual."

"What did you do?" her former mentor asked, whiskers twitching.

"I didn't really _do _anything. Just asked him what he did to get in trouble again," Fireheart answered. "He was taking feathers to Spottedpaw for her nest, so I assumed he was on punishment for something. Probably tried to fight a WindClan kit or something, I don't know."

"Sunstar usually punishes his warriors by assigning them to care for the elders and queens, not the medicine cats, though," Lionheart pointed out from behind them. "And why would Thistleclaw give Spottedpaw feathers for her nest but not Featherwhisker?"

_Fair point, _Fireheart mused, frowning to herself. Out loud, she meowed hesitantly, "I don't know, maybe Sunstar gave him a bigger punishment than normal since Thistleclaw tends to cause trouble. And maybe he was doing their nests one at a time."

But on the other hand, Thistleclaw had been acting strangely around Spottedpaw even before she left the nursery. Fireheart hadn't forgotten about his mysterious visit to the nursery that one day, nor had she forgotten the fact that she was the only one Thistleclaw paid attention to during her and her siblings' apprentice ceremony. Now he was giving her feathers for her nest.

_And now that I think about it, most of the Clan only use moss for their nests, Spottedpaw included. Why is he bringing her feathers? _she wondered.

Of course, it was entirely possible that the three incidents were completely unrelated and she was worrying over nothing. Even so, Fireheart couldn't suppress a pit of worry in her stomach. There was something about Thistleclaw's behavior that wasn't right, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why it made her fur stand on end and her spine tingle with suspicion.

Eventually, the topic of discussion moved on to various Clan gossip, and Fireheart pushed her misgivings about Thistleclaw and Spottedpaw to the back of her mind. Maybe she was worrying over nothing, she told herself as she laughed at Lionheart's story about the time he and Goldenflower played a prank on Dappletail. Maybe her dislike of the gray and white warrior was causing her to overreact. Maybe there really was nothing going on.

She tried to tell herself all of this, but somehow, she couldn't make herself believe it.

* * *

If there was any doubt that there was something going on with Thistleclaw and Spottedpaw, it was gone within the next three days.

Over that period of time, Fireheart witnessed the spiky-furred tom making frequent trips to the medicine den. _Too _frequent. He was there almost every single day, although he made sure to carry herbs or moss in order to alleviate suspicion. But Fireheart wasn't fooled. She knew there was no way Featherwhisker and Spottedpaw would need to replenish their stocks this frequently. The Clan had been mostly healthy all season; there was no way they could have used up as many herbs as Thistleclaw was bringing in. To add to the suspiciousness of his behavior, he only ever seemed to bring fresh moss or herbs when Featherwhisker was out of the camp.

Tigerclaw had noticed it as well. On the third day, as they watched Thistleclaw disappear into the medicine den with a bundle of catmint in his jaws, Fireheart's mate turned to her with a displeased look on his face.

"If he's trying to make himself look inconspicuous, he's not doing a very good job," the dark tabby growled. "I don't know how the rest of the Clan hasn't realized that something's up."

"Should we talk to Sunstar about it?" Fireheart asked. Despite every instinct screaming at her to do so, she still felt hesitant. Technically speaking, Thistleclaw wasn't committing any crimes as far as she knew. The only thing he was doing was making a few too many trips to the medicine den when Spottedpaw was alone, but there was nothing in the warrior code about how often a cat was allowed to visit the medicine cat and the fact that Spottedpaw was always on her own during Thistleclaw's visits could very well have been entirely coincidental.

She felt a pang of mixed relief and apprehension when Tigerclaw shook his head. "Right now, we only have circumstantial evidence, and if Thistleclaw is doing what I think he's doing, we'll need better than that," he meowed.

Fireheart nodded. "So what should we do until then?"

"Keep an eye on him," Tigerclaw replied. "That's the only thing we can do. And maybe, if we're lucky, we'll be able to catch him in the act."

Fireheart nodded in agreement and exhaled slowly. Perhaps it wasn't the best plan in the world, but what could they do about it? If it meant putting an end to whatever Thistleclaw was doing, she wasn't going to complain.

* * *

**This is the first of three chapters I'm uploading today. Enjoy! **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**scarlett quagmire: You're in luck! I'm publishing three chapters today. As for kits, that will happen eventually but not for a while. **

**Londonvetgirl25: The funny thing is, nobody won. Well, technically. A few of them got the timing right, but everyone expected Tigerclaw to be the one to confess first and not Fireheart. **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Oh, her suspicions will DEFINITELY be a plot point...I'll give you a hint: it has to do with a certain hated novella that the Erins fell flat on their faces while trying to write. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	23. One Day Off

The crisp leaf-bare chill nipped at Tigerclaw's fur as he padded through the forest with Fireheart at his side. It was nearly sunhigh and the two warriors had been planning on taking Willowpaw and Redpaw out for a battle training session. Unfortunately, Willowpaw had fallen ill with food poisoning and was confined to the medicine den. Redpaw was fine but was worried about his sister, so Fireheart had excused him from training so he could be there in case anything happened to her.

"So, have you been able to catch Thistleclaw doing anything lately?" Fireheart asked, bounding gracefully over a log.

"No, not yet," Tigerclaw admitted. They had been keeping an eye on his former mentor for at least a quarter moon now, but they still hadn't been able to find any solid proof that he was doing anything to Spottedpaw. "I guess he's better at keeping his crimes hidden than we thought."

"Well, let's keep watching him. He's bound to slip up eventually," the flame-colored molly meowed.

"True," he agreed.

As they continued on their walk, Tigerclaw found his gaze straying to his mate–_his mate_, he still found that hard to believe sometimes–feeling a warm glow whenever her beautiful green eyes met his. With the added duty of training their apprentices, it was rare that they found time to spend together anymore, so he took advantage of every opportunity to be with her. Of course, it wasn't as though he _never _got to spend time with Fireheart, but there was something different about going on a leisurely stroll through the forest with her compared to training Redpaw and Willowpaw together.

"We should probably collect some moss to take some moss to the nursery," Fireheart meowed thoughtfully. "I'm sure Mousekit and Runningkit have all but shredded White-eye's bedding by now."

"Probably," Tigerclaw agreed with a chuckle.

"They _are _cute, though," she admitted. Tigerclaw noticed a slightly wistful look enter her emerald-colored gaze.

"We'll have a family someday too, you know," he meowed softly. "You'll make a wonderful mother, Fireheart."

"Thanks, Tigerclaw. But I don't plan on having kits for a few more moons," Fireheart meowed. "I've got an apprentice to train, you know. And anyway, I don't think I'm ready to be a mother just yet. We haven't been warriors for that long. But maybe after Redpaw and Willowpaw become warriors, I'll be ready for that."

"_Do _you want to have kits?" Tigerclaw asked. He wanted nothing more than to have a family with the cat he loved someday, but he would never dream of asking something of her that she didn't want to give him. "You don't _need _to have kits, you know. Not every molly becomes a mother."

"Of course," she assured him. "I just don't want to have kits right now, that's all."

A squirrel scampered across their path and began burrowing through some leaves near a tree. Tigerclaw watched as Fireheart slipped into the hunting crouch, stalking swiftly and silently in the direction of the fluffy-tailed creature. The squirrel didn't even have time to blink before she was sinking her teeth into its neck, killing it instantly. He almost felt sorry for it.

"Good catch," he called over to her.

"Thanks," Fireheart purred. She buried her squirrel under a pile of leaves and hurried back over to join him. "Come on, we should keep going. It's past sunhigh now and we're supposed to join the sunset patrol later."

Tigerclaw nodded, and the two warriors continued on their way. Eventually, they reached the mossy tree where the Clan collected bedding. When they arrived, Fireheart began collecting moss to take back to the nursery. She tucked the moss underneath her chin, a slight grimace on her face.

"Want some help carrying that back?" he offered.

"I'll be fine, but thanks anyway," Fireheart answered as she began padding back in the direction of the camp.

They walked back to the camp in silence, pausing only momentarily to pick up Fireheart's squirrel. As they padded through their territory, snow began to fall. Tigerclaw felt a surge of warmth flood through him as he saw the look of wonder and amazement on the flame-pelted molly's face. It wasn't the first time she had seen snow, but she looked as excited as a kit seeing her first leaf-bare.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Fireheart breathed, gazing up at the sky. The top of her head was covered in snow, but she didn't seem to notice.

"It is," Tigerclaw agreed, gently flicking the snow off of her head.

She nodded, lifting her nose upwards. "Look at it. Don't you think it looks just like falling cherry blossom petals?"

Tigerclaw looked up at the sky as instructed and saw that Fireheart was right. The snow _did _look a lot like cherry blossom petals. He felt a twinge of surprise; how had he never noticed that before? Even after living in the forest for his entire life, he had never thought to take the time to stop and actually _look _at his home. Apparently, Fireheart had changed more in him than just making him a friendlier, more compassionate warrior.

Not that he should have been surprised, now that he thought about it. There was something about Fireheart that made everything just seem...perfect. Maybe it was just the fact that he loved her, but Tigerclaw couldn't believe that she didn't have that effect on everyone else as well. It was impossible that anyone could be around her and not find that the stars shone brighter than ever, even on the cloudiest night.

"I know leaf-bare is a hard time for the Clan," Fireheart meowed slowly as she started walking again. "But you have to admit, the forest looks incredible. In a way, it...just makes every hardship worth it, know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah," Tigerclaw agreed, half-absentmindedly. "Yeah, it does."

_She loves the snow, she loves her Clan, and she loves the life of a warrior. Maybe that's why she makes everything look so beautiful._

* * *

**Tigerclaw really loves Fireheart. :)**


	24. More Warning Signs and The Truth

Fireheart watched, frowning in concern and frustration as Redpaw missed yet another easy piece of prey. The young tom had been distracted all morning, barely acknowledging her when she told him they were going to go hunting that afternoon. When she had asked him if he was alright, he had claimed that he was fine, but things had only gone downhill from there. Most of the time, Redpaw was an excellent hunter, but today he seemed incapable of catching even the slowest, scrawniest mouse.

"Alright," she meowed as Redpaw watched the creature he had been attempting to catch–a vole–scamper away with a despondent look on his face. "What's going on with you today? I've seen you hunt before and I know you're better than this, so what's wrong? And don't tell me it's nothing because I know that's not true."

Redpaw shifted about nervously. "It–it's really nothing," he replied quickly. "I'm just having an off day today, I guess."

"Come off it, Redpaw. We both know you aren't going to fool me with that," Fireheart meowed sternly. More gently, she added, "I'm here to listen to anything you have to say, you know. If there's anything bothering you, you're always welcome to tell me about it."

For a moment, she thought the young tom was going to refuse again. After a few moments of silence, however, he blurted out, "I'm worried about Spottedpaw."

"Go on," she meowed encouragingly, trying to suppress her fur as it began to stand up along her spine. She had a feeling she knew what was about to come next, and she felt no surprise as Redpaw continued speaking.

"It's just...she seems really bothered about something lately," her apprentice meowed, fidgeting slightly. "When I went to get mouse bile from her yesterday so I could take care of Goosefeather's ticks, she looked as if something was upsetting her. But when I asked her if she was okay, she barely said anything. I don't think she wanted to talk about it. And, well, I don't know if you've noticed, but Thistleclaw's been visiting her a lot recently..."

"I did notice, actually," Fireheart admitted. Over the past moon, she had seen Thistleclaw make almost daily visits to the medicine den. "But I don't know what he's doing in there all the time."

"Neither do I," Redpaw meowed, shaking his head. "But I was just thinking that...well, what if him being in there with Spottedpaw all the time is the reason she's been acting so strangely lately?"

Fireheart thought for a few moments. Redpaw had made a good point, she realized. Spottedpaw had always been a bright, cheerful young molly, and Fireheart didn't think she'd ever seen her in a bad mood. She certainly wasn't the type of cat to display the level of moodiness that Redpaw had described, but evidently, that had changed over the past moon–coincidentally, or perhaps not, as Thistleclaw's visits continued.

"It's possible," she answered finally. "Has Spottedpaw talked about what Thistleclaw does when he visits her at all?"

"I haven't asked her," Redpaw admitted. "But I can tell that she doesn't like it. I happened to be in there once or twice when he came to see her, and he never did anything when I was there, but I don't know what goes on between them when I'm not around. And I could just tell that she was uncomfortable, you know?"

"I know what you mean," Fireheart murmured, remembering the way Spottedpaw had all but fled to her nest when Thistleclaw came to give her those feathers. Pushing the memory to the back of her mind, she asked, "Do you want me to talk to someone about what's going on? I'm sure Sunstar and Featherwhisker would be willing to help Spottedpaw if Thistleclaw's been bothering her."

However, Redpaw just shook his head. "I don't want to bother Sunstar about it just yet," he meowed quietly. "But...if it's not too much trouble, do you think you could talk to Spottedpaw? Maybe you can ask her what's been going on."

"Of course," Fireheart agreed gently. "If it's not too much of a bother, I'm going to talk to Swiftbreeze too. She'll want to know as well."

The tortoiseshell apprentice relaxed visibly. "Thanks, Fireheart," he meowed gratefully. "I won't forget this."

Their talk seemed to do the trick, for Redpaw was back to his usual self for the rest of the hunt. By the time they returned to the camp, he had caught two squirrels, three mice, and a robin. Despite his slow start, he had done well, and Fireheart felt he had more than atoned for his mistakes earlier that day. Not that she could fault him for that, of course, considering he had only been worried about his sister.

As Redpaw padded over to the fresh-kill pile to deposit his load, Fireheart stood at the edge of the camp, debating as to whether she should speak to Swiftbreeze or Spottedpaw first. On one hand, Swiftbreeze was Spottedpaw's mother and deserved to know if someone was hurting her daughter. On the other hand, if she talked to her first, the queen would almost certainly insist on coming to speak to Spottedpaw with her, and Fireheart didn't want the young medicine cat apprentice to feel as if she was being cornered. In the end, she decided that it would be best to talk to Spottedpaw first and made her way over to the medicine clearing.

On her way there, she was approached by Bluefur, who was carrying a bundle of watermint in her jaws. She paused as the older warrior walked up to her, blue eyes warm and friendly.

"Fireheart," Bluefur greeted her, flicking her shoulder with her tail. "If you're going to see Featherwhisker, you'll need to wait. He's out collecting watermint right now–apparently, most of the stock rotted. He asked me to help take this back for him."

"Thanks, but it's actually Spottedpaw I wanted to visit," Fireheart told her former mentor. "Redpaw told me she's been acting strangely ever since Thistleclaw started visiting her, and I offered to ask her what he's been doing."

"Ah, I see. In that case, I'll come with you," the blue-gray molly meowed.

"Thanks, Bluefur," Fireheart meowed, dipping her head to her friend.

Together, the two mollies walked the rest of the way to the medicine den side by side. As they prepared to push their way through the fern-covered entrance, however, they paused as they heard voices coming from inside. Fireheart felt her fur stand on end and a shiver ran down her spine. She recognized Thistleclaw's voice.

"I'll bring you more feathers tomorrow, Spottedpaw. Only the best for our Clan's medicine cat," Thistleclaw purred. Fireheart hoped with all her heart that she never heard him do it again. Somehow, Thistleclaw's purring made his voice sound even more horrific.

"T-thank you, Thistleclaw," Spottedpaw stammered, her voice barely audible. Redpaw had been right; she _did _sound uncomfortable. "B-but I'm not actually a medicine cat. I'm still just an apprentice."

"Of course," the gray and white warrior meowed in that same sickly sweet voice. "You know, it's a shame that a cat as pretty as yourself chose to be a medicine cat. I'm sure if you were a warrior apprentice, there would be quite a few toms interested in you. Your kits would be as beautiful as you are, Spottedpaw."

Fireheart stepped back, her head spinning. Whatever she had been expecting to hear, somehow the truth was worse. She wanted to vomit. If this was how Thistleclaw had been talking to Spottedpaw for the past moon, it was no wonder she had seemed so disturbed when Redpaw went to collect mouse bile. Fireheart glanced over at Bluefur and saw a look of mingled horror, disgust, and fury on the older warrior's face. She was certain that her own expression was the same.

There was no way they could let Thistleclaw get away with this. Her resolve strengthened, Fireheart pushed her way into the medicine den with Bluefur at her side, blocking Thistleclaw's path as the spiky-furred warrior turned to leave. He recoiled visibly, his fur bristling as he nearly stepped on a berry that had rolled behind him.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his yellow eyes wild. "What do you want?"

"Save it, Thistleclaw," Bluefur spat. "We heard everything."

Thistleclaw stared at her for a few heartbeats, then whirled on Spottedpaw, who shrank back at his anger.

"You planned this!" he snarled accusingly. "You told Bluefur and that–that _kittypet_–that I've been visiting you, didn't you? Well, dear Spottedpaw, your little ploy isn't going to work."

"I–I didn't tell them, I swear!" Spottedpaw meowed desperately, backing away from the furious warrior.

"_Liar!_" Thistleclaw spat.

"Thistleclaw, that's enough! Leave her alone!" Fireheart growled, pushing her way in between the two cats and shielding Spottedpaw from Thistleclaw. "She didn't tell us anything. We were coming to deliver watermint when we heard you talking to her from outside the den."

"Is that so?" The gray and white tom's eyes were gleaming. "Then you'll know that I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was just paying her a few compliments."

"Don't give us that load of fox dung," Bluefur snarled. Despite the situation they were in, Fireheart felt a shiver run down her spine at the rage burning the blue-furred warrior's eyes. She hoped she never found herself on the wrong end of that expression. "That was no compliment, what you were saying to her. You had no business talking to her the way you did. For the love of StarClan, she's not even eight moons old, Thistleclaw."

Thistleclaw glared at them. "If you say a word–"

"You'll what?" Fireheart interrupted, taking a step towards her most hated Clanmate. "You'll kill us? Nice try, Thistleclaw, but not even you can take on two warriors at once. And how do you think it would look to the rest of the Clan if Bluefur and I, two cats you hate more than anyone, just _happened _to turn up dead?"

"Fine, then tell them. Tell everyone, if you must," he snarled. "Nobody will ever believe you. Everyone knows you two are biased against me. You would do anything to turn my Clanmates against me."

"Really?" Bluefur asked coldly. "It's three cats' word against one, and considering everything you've done, Thistleclaw, who do you _really _think Sunstar is going to believe?"

Thistleclaw continued to glare at them, but eventually, he realized that he was fighting a losing battle and let his fur lie flat. Fireheart nodded to Bluefur, signaling that they could lower their aggression as well.

"Now, here's what's going to happen," she meowed in a voice like ice. "We're going to take Spottedpaw to talk to Sunstar so she can tell him everything you did to her. And you, Thistleclaw, will be coming with us. Don't even think about trying to escape because if you do, there's an entire clearing filled with warriors outside who will come running as soon as they hear us calling for backup. Understood? Good."

With that, Fireheart moved to stand behind Thistleclaw as Bluefur padded in front of him. Spottedpaw, who had kept silent during the confrontation with the spiky-furred warrior, went to stand beside Fireheart. The four cats walked out of the medicine den with Thistleclaw in between them like a rogue prisoner. As they walked over to Sunstar's den beneath the Highrock, Fireheart felt Spottedpaw nudge her flank and turned to look down at the younger cat.

"Thank you," Spottedpaw meowed, keeping her voice low so that Thistleclaw didn't overhear. "I know I should have told someone a long time ago, but I didn't know what to do...I mean, he always _acted _friendly and said so many nice things, but it always felt...well, creepy."

"It's not your fault," Fireheart meowed soothingly. "Thistleclaw was trying to manipulate you. He's the only one who's done anything wrong here, Spottedpaw. We aren't going to fault you for being too afraid to speak up. But you need to tell Sunstar everything–and I mean _everything_. He'll put a stop to Thistleclaw's behavior, I promise."

"Do you think he'll believe me?" Spottedpaw asked, her eyes fearful.

"He will," Fireheart promised. "Sunstar knows you're not a liar, Spottedpaw. And if he doesn't, we'll see to it that Thistleclaw never goes near you again, no matter what lengths we have to go to in order to stop him."

Spottedpaw relaxed visibly, her expression filling with relief and gratitude. "Thank you, Fireheart."

"No problem," the flame-pelted warrior meowed warmly.

With that, Fireheart gently rested her tail on the younger molly's shoulder and gently led her on as they made their way over to talk to Sunstar.


	25. The Only Fitting Punishment

Sunstar was eating a mouse when Fireheart, Bluefur, Thistleclaw, and Spottedpaw entered his den. The ThunderClan leader looked up from his meal, his whiskers twitching in surprise when he saw them. Fireheart supposed she couldn't blame him. They _did _make for a rather strange-looking group.

"Hello, you four," Sunstar greeted them. "How can I help you?"

"Spottedpaw has something she wants to tell you, Sunstar," Bluefur meowed, dipping her head to the bright ginger tom.

"What is it?" he asked, looking at Spottedpaw curiously.

Instead of answering, the younger molly just looked down at her paws, shifting about nervously. Seeing her hesitation, Fireheart gently touched her nose to Spottedpaw's ear.

"Relax," she murmured. "Remember, he's going to believe you. And we'll be here to support you no matter what."

Spottedpaw flashed her a grateful glance. "Thanks, Fireheart," she whispered.

Taking a deep breath, she padded forward to stand in front of Sunstar. "I–I have to talk to you," she began awkwardly. "It–it's about Thistleclaw."

Thistleclaw let out a low, soft growl, his claws sliding out. Fireheart and Bluefur glared at him, and he quickly stood down. They weren't about to let him frighten Spottedpaw out of telling Sunstar what he had done to her.

"Go on," the ThunderClan leader meowed, frowning at the spiky-furred warrior.

Fireheart listened in mingled shock, horror, and fury as Spottedpaw went into a detailed explanation of Thistleclaw's actions towards her over the past moon. After walking in on their conversation today, she had figured out what Thistleclaw had done to her, but hearing it out loud was something else entirely. As she spoke, Sunstar's eyes began to darken with anger.

"And you say this has been happening ever since you became an apprentice?" he asked. Spottedpaw nodded.

"We can speak for her as well," Fireheart meowed. "Earlier today, Bluefur and I were going to deliver herbs when we overheard Thistleclaw talking to Spottedpaw. He was saying what a shame it was that someone as pretty as she chose to be a medicine cat. And...he also told her that if she were a warrior apprentice, there would be a lot of toms interested in her and that her kits would be as beautiful as her."

"I wanted to tell someone before, but I didn't know if it was a good idea," Spottedpaw admitted. "I mean, the things he said sounded really nice, but it just felt...weird. But I thought if I told anyone what was happening, I would sound ungrateful."

"It's not ungrateful," Sunstar reassured her, resting his tail-tip on her shoulder. "Thistleclaw is a senior warrior and he was trying to take advantage of you. It's natural that you were uncertain and scared about speaking up. The only one who did anything wrong was him. You have nothing to feel guilty about, Spottedpaw."

Spottedpaw nodded, her amber eyes filling with relief. Fireheart let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. Of course, she hadn't doubted that Sunstar would believe the young medicine cat apprentice's story, but it was a relief to hear his confirmation for herself. Before she could say anything else, however, Thistleclaw suddenly pushed his way forward.

"Hold on a moment!" he protested, glaring around at Spottedpaw, who shrank back at his obvious anger. "You don't seriously believe what she's saying, do you? It's obvious that Bluefur and Fireheart were just trying to use Spottedpaw to get me in trouble!"

"_Get you in trouble_?" Bluefur repeated disbelievingly. "We don't need to do anything to get you in trouble. You do a fine job of that on your own."

Thistleclaw glared at her, his eyes flashing with rage and hatred. Before he could attack, however, Sunstar stood up and forced the gray and white warrior away from Bluefur.

"Enough," he growled. "Thistleclaw, after seeing your behavior, I have no reason to doubt any of Spottedpaw's claims. You will stay in the warriors' den under guard while I discuss what to do with my senior warriors. Fireheart, I want you to get Swiftbreeze for me. She should know what Thistleclaw did to her daughter. Bluefur, find one other warrior and stand guard over him."

Fireheart and Bluefur nodded and turned away, walking out of the den with Spottedpaw between them. Thistleclaw glowered for another few heartbeats, but not even he would defy Sunstar twice. Slowly, he walked after his Clanmates before quickening his pace in order to catch up with Fireheart.

"This isn't over," he hissed, his breath hot on her face. "I won't let you get away with this, kittypet. You'll be crowfood once I'm through with you."

"I'd like to see you try," Fireheart growled back. If Thistleclaw thought he was going to frighten her now, he was very mistaken.

Bluefur led Thistleclaw away to the warriors' den, pausing along the way to speak to Thrushpelt. After a brief exchange, the sandy-gray warrior took up the rear, effectively blocking Thistleclaw in between them. Satisfied that Spottedpaw's tormenter wouldn't be escaping anytime soon, Fireheart turned to speak to the tortoiseshell molly.

"Well, I should get Swiftbreeze now. Do you want to come with me or would you rather go back to the medicine den and get some rest?" she asked gently.

However, Spottedpaw just shook her head. "I think I should come," she meowed quietly. "I want to be there when Sunstar tells her what happened."

"Alright," Fireheart replied, flicking Spottedpaw's shoulder gently with her tail.

Spottedpaw hesitated, then asked, "What do you think Sunstar will do to Thistleclaw?"

"I don't know," Fireheart admitted. "He'll probably want to talk about what his punishment should be with the senior warriors. But one thing's for sure, Thistleclaw won't get away with this. We'll make sure of that."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Fireheart was in the middle of sharing a meal with Tigerclaw when Sunstar gave the call to convene beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting. Taking a deep breath, she rose to her paws and padded over to the edge of the clearing. At last, the moment of truth had arrived, and they would finally find out what punishment Sunstar had decided upon for Thistleclaw.

A few tail-lengths away, Spottedpaw was seated in between her parents, Adderfang and Swiftbreeze. Fireheart winced slightly as she remembered the fury in the queen's eyes when she learned of what Thistleclaw had done to her daughter. If Thistleclaw had been present at the time, Fireheart was certain that he would have been incinerated on the spot. As she watched, Redpaw and Willowpaw padded over to sit next to their sister as well.

Finally, Thistleclaw emerged from the warriors' den, following after Bluefur and Thrushpelt. Whatever fight he had left in him was gone now. His head was bowed and his tail dragged across the ground. Fireheart felt her lip curl into a sneer at the sight of him. Trust Thistleclaw to put on a regretful face when he was being faced with the possibility of exile for his actions.

Once the Clan was settled, Sunstar began to speak. "I'll keep it plain," he meowed, his eyes dark. "One of our warriors has been attempting to manipulate, harass, and torment our medicine cat apprentice. So Thistleclaw," he went on, staring down at the gray and white tom, "do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Yowls of shock and anger erupted from the surrounding cats. Fireheart saw a few warriors turn on Thistleclaw, baring their teeth. Rosetail and Poppydawn stared at the spiky-furred warrior, their eyes filled with cold disappointment and fury.

"I knew it," Tigerclaw growled, glaring at his former mentor. Fireheart glanced over at her mate.

"You did?" she asked.

Tigerclaw nodded. "I suspected that was what he was doing, but I didn't want to say anything without solid proof," he replied. "Even if Thistleclaw is just about the least popular cat in the Clan right now, he is still a senior warrior."

"I guess it's lucky we walked in on them when we did, in that case," Fireheart murmured.

After a while, the clamor finally died down. As soon as the last warrior had quieted themselves, Sunstar spoke up again. His normally warm, gentle eyes were cold and reproachful, and Fireheart felt herself shiver involuntarily.

"Thistleclaw, I have given you multiple chances to prove yourself to be a loyal warrior, and you have failed every single one," the ThunderClan leader continued. "You had your apprentice attack a kit. You've started multiple unnecessary border fights. Now, I find out that you've been manipulating and tormenting an apprentice. Spottedpaw has been forced to live in fear and confusion because of you."

Thistleclaw didn't say anything. Instead, he simply looked up at Sunstar, his face utterly devoid of emotion.

"It is not enough to simply exile you," Sunstar meowed in a voice like ice. "If we just send you away, you'll just do the same thing to another innocent kit. Either that, or you'll murder the next unsuspecting apprentice who happens to cross your path. As the leader of ThunderClan, it is my job to ensure the safety of my warriors and the forest."

The gray and white warrior blinked slowly. Fireheart stiffened slightly, pressing herself against Tigerclaw as she realized what Sunstar was about to do.

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this cat," Sunstar called out, looking to the sky. "He has disgraced the name of warrior and brought shame upon his Clan. Therefore, I sentence this blight upon the forest to death. Never will he be allowed to walk among your ranks."

The entire Clan was silent as Sunstar delivered Thistleclaw's sentence. Despite the lack of a verbal response, however, Fireheart could tell that they agreed with his decision. Sunstar was right; if Thistleclaw was allowed to walk away, he would be sure to torment other kits in the same way he had done to Spottedpaw. Death was the only viable option.

"I need at least four of my senior warriors to assist with this criminal's execution," Sunstar meowed.

Adderfang stood up. "I will help," he growled, glaring at Thistleclaw.

"And me," Swiftbreeze added.

"Count me in," Bluefur spoke up.

"I'll help as well," Tigerclaw meowed.

"And I'll be there as well, and that should be enough," Sunstar concluded. "That is all. Everyone who volunteered, lead the prisoner out of the camp. The rest of you may go back to your regular duties."

"I'll see you when we get back," Tigerclaw murmured, licking her cheek.

"Stay safe," she meowed. "I'll make sure Spottedpaw is alright."

She watched as Thistleclaw was forced out through the gorse tunnel before turning around and walking over to join Spottedpaw and her siblings. The younger molly looked up at her as she approached, her eyes shining with relief and gratitude.

"You're safe now," Fireheart meowed gently. "Thistleclaw won't ever hurt you again."

"Thank you," Spottedpaw meowed. "I know I keep saying it, but really...thank you. I couldn't have done this without you and Bluefur."

"Don't mention it," the flame-colored warrior answered. "I'm just glad that we caught Thistleclaw before things went much further."

Not long after, Sunstar and the rest of the patrol returned, their paws soaked with blood. As soon as she saw them, Fireheart walked over to Tigerclaw, who greeted her with a gentle lick to her ears. She noted with relief that the dark tabby didn't seem to be sporting any new injuries aside from a small cut on his ear.

"Did everything go well?" she asked.

Tigerclaw nodded. "He tried to escape, but there was no way he was getting away from all five of us," he meowed.

"What did you do with the body?" Fireheart asked curiously.

"We took it to the Thunderpath. After everything he did, he doesn't deserve a warrior's burial," Bluefur answered. "The monsters can take care of him instead."

Fireheart nodded, exhaling slowly. "I guess that takes care of that," she murmured.

She gave a yawn, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over her. Despite her weariness, however, Fireheart was satisfied. It had been a long day, but if nothing else, at least Spottedpaw was safe from Thistleclaw now. At the end of the day, that was all that mattered.

* * *

**Die, Thistleclaw. Diiiieeee. **

**Mwahahahahaha. **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**Featherflight: Yesss. **

**davidtheumbreon: Oh, no. The Clans take pedophilia EXTREMELY seriously. If you're caught manipulating an apprentice like that, you'd better start saying your final prayers. **

**Simitria: Yeah, there's no way Thistleclaw would beat Bluefur AND Fireheart in a battle. The thing about Fireheart is that while she doesn't go out of her way to start fights, she's just as aggressive if not more so than Thistleclaw when she does have to battle. If she can't beat you, she'll make sure you regret choosing to take her on anyway. And yes, if Thistleclaw even thought about trying to attack her, Tigerclaw would rip him in half. **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Thistleclaw was actually off the list of candidates a long time ago (think: as soon as he tried to get Tigerclaw to attack Fireheart when she was a kit). Although to be honest, Sunstar never considered him to be a potential deputy/leader anyway. As for Bluefur's kits, she was always going to keep them because Mosskit deserved better. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	26. Planning

Tigerclaw swiped at Willowpaw's ear as his apprentice reared up to strike him across his face. At the last second, however, the pale gray molly ducked to avoid his blow and his paw swiped harmlessly through the air. As he was regaining his balance, Willowpaw ducked underneath him and flung her back legs into his belly, sending him flying across the clearing. He hit the ground with a thud before slowly getting back to his paws, wincing slightly from the impact of the fall.

"Well done," he panted.

"Thank you!" Willowpaw purred, her eyes shining with pride.

He nodded. "Let's get back home and you can have something to eat," he meowed. "We're going on the dusk patrol with Fireheart, Redpaw, and Brindleface later, so make sure you're well-rested for that."

"Okay, then," the pale gray apprentice replied cheerfully, turning around and padding off in the direction of the camp. A moment later, however, she turned around again with a curious expression on her face. "Tigerclaw, how long have I been training?"

Tigerclaw thought for a few heartbeats. "Almost six moons, I think?" the dark tabby suggested. "Fireheart and I were talking about asking Sunstar if we could hold your and Redpaw's warrior assessments soon."

Willowpaw's eyes lit up. "Great!" she exclaimed happily. "When can we have them? Can we do it tomorrow? Please?"

"Well, I don't see why not," Tigerclaw replied warmly. There was no denying that both Willowpaw and Redpaw deserved to be made warriors. They had progressed quickly in their training, even managing to do so while supporting Spottedpaw as she recovered from the trauma of Thistleclaw's attempted manipulation. "I'll talk to Fireheart later today and ask her what she thinks."

"Okay," Willowpaw agreed, nodding. "I can't wait to tell Redpaw we're going to become warriors soon! Come _on_, I want to get back to the camp so I can tell him as soon as possible!"

Without waiting for a response, she turned around and sped off towards the ThunderClan camp. Tigerclaw followed more slowly, shaking his head to himself and chuckling as he watched his apprentice disappear from view. He could still remember his own excitement when Leopardfoot told him that she would be holding his warrior assessment. His joy at becoming a warrior had only been tempered by the fact that Fireheart had chosen to remain in training until Brindleface and Frostfur were apprenticed. Of course, he would never fault her for wanting to be a good friend to Whitestorm, but he had missed her during those few moons when they had to sleep in different dens.

When he arrived back at the camp, he spotted Fireheart sharing a meal with Whitestorm and Bluefur. He walked over to join them, pausing along the way to pick up a thrush from the fresh-kill pile. Fireheart purred in greeting as he sat down beside her, green eyes sparkling with warmth and welcome.

"How was your training session with Willowpaw?" she asked.

"It went great. She's turned into a good fighter," Tigerclaw answered, taking a bite out of his thrush. "What about you and Redpaw?"

"He was amazing today," Fireheart purred, her emerald-colored eyes gleaming with pride for her apprentice. "Redpaw has one of the best memories I've ever seen. I only have to tell him something once, and most of the time he's able to commit it to memory just like that."

"You had a good memory as well, Fireheart," Bluefur remarked. "Except for whenever you got nervous, that is. What was it that you called mice again right before your first hunting assessment?"

Fireheart gave her former mentor a deadpan stare. "Really, Bluefur? You're going to bring that up again?"

"Oh, I remember what it was," Whitestorm meowed, laughing. "You called them 'squeaky gray things', right?"

"Whitestorm!" Fireheart groaned. "Thanks a lot, you two. I'm never going to live that down."

Tigerclaw chuckled to himself as he imagined Fireheart, still a young apprentice at the time, trying desperately to remember what mice were called. It was actually rather cute, especially seeing as he could sympathize with her for being nervous. He had been a bundle of nerves before his very first assessment as well, so much so that he nearly made himself sick.

"Don't worry about it, Fireheart. All apprentices get nervous before their assessments," he meowed out loud.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Fireheart agreed, her gaze brightening.

"The days leading up to the assessment are always the worst from what I've seen," Bluefur meowed. "Since you spend most of your time imagining everything that could possibly go wrong. I remember the night before my warrior assessment, I had a nightmare where a piece of prey I had just caught grew to the size of Highstones and chased me around the forest."

Fireheart snorted with laughter. "You think that was bad? I had a dream that I _was _a piece of prey. Luckily for me, I woke up right before I was caught."

"Isn't there a saying that you don't die in your dreams?" Whitestorm asked curiously.

"I'm not sure," the flame-colored molly answered, looking thoughtful. "I have heard other cats say that when you die in your dreams, you die in real life as well, and that's why it never happens. But I'm not sure if it's actually true or not."

"Well, we'll probably never know," Tigerclaw commented, finishing off the last of his thrush. "Seeing as anyone who's supposedly died in their dreams is apparently dead for real."

Fireheart nodded, then turned to face him. "By the way, I was meaning to ask you something," she meowed. "Redpaw asked if we could hold his warrior assessment soon, and I told him I would ask you when it would be a good time to have them. I was thinking maybe tomorrow at sunhigh if it won't be too much trouble?"

Tigerclaw couldn't help himself; he started laughing. There wasn't really anything funny about the situation, but it was strange that Fireheart had also planned on asking him to hold their apprentices' warrior assessments the following day. The flame-pelted warrior stared at him, her green eyes filled with confusion.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing," Tigerclaw assured her, calming himself down. "It's just a really funny coincidence. I was planning on asking you the same question."

"Really?" Fireheart asked, now looking rather amused herself. He nodded. "You're right. That _is _funny."

"What can anyone say? You two are made for each other," Whitestorm proclaimed. Fireheart rolled her eyes at him and smacked his shoulder playfully.

"Anyway, does tomorrow at sunhigh work?" she asked, turning to face Tigerclaw again.

"Of course," Tigerclaw meowed.

"Great," Fireheart purred. "I'll go let Redpaw know, then. See you all in a moment."

Tigerclaw nodded and watched as Fireheart rose to her paws and padded over to the mossy stump where Redpaw and Willowpaw were play-fighting. He saw her meow something to her apprentice, whose tail immediately shot up in delight. Willowpaw meowed something as well, her head cocked to the side, and Fireheart nodded and flicked her tail in his direction. The younger molly nodded happily and Fireheart turned around and padded back over to join them.

"Well, they're definitely excited," she remarked, chuckling.

"I would hope so," Tigerclaw agreed. "It would be concerning if they weren't."

"True," Fireheart agreed. She glanced up at the sky. "Anyway, we should probably think about heading out on the patrol soon. It's starting to get dark out and I promised Mousekit and Runningkit that I would bring them a feather to play with."

"Won't they be asleep by the time you get back anyway?" Bluefur pointed out.

Fireheart flicked her tail dismissively. "They can always play with it tomorrow," she replied.

"Knowing those two, they'll probably still be awake," Whitestorm meowed. "They have a lot of energy for one-moon-old kits."

"Why did White-eye move into the nursery so early?" Tigerclaw asked curiously. A queen was only pregnant for about two moons before her kits were born, but White-eye had been in the nursery since at least a moon before Willowpaw, Spottedpaw, and Redpaw had started their training.

"I think she decided that she would rather stay in the camp and help take care of the kits instead of living the life of a regular warrior," Bluefur answered, sounding as though she couldn't imagine why anyone would willingly give up a warrior's life. "It's admirable of her, but I can't say I envy her decision. I can't imagine being stuck here all day having to watch over a bunch of kits."

"What's wrong with kits?" Fireheart asked.

"Oh, nothing at all," the blue-gray warrior assured her. "I do like them. But I don't think I would be able to handle being confined to the camp all day long. I want to be out in the forest with my Clanmates, hunting for our elders and protecting our borders."

"Fair enough," Fireheart conceded. "I still want kits someday, though. Just...not really sure when."

"Well, there's no need to rush into anything," Bluefur told the younger molly. "Not everyone who becomes a mother has it happen at the same age. You'll know when you're ready."

"Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll have enough kits to start my own Clan," the flame-colored warrior joked.

Tigerclaw chuckled as he imagined Fireheart raising an entire Clan of little flame-colored kits. "I don't think it's possible for a queen to have that many kits in one litter," he meowed.

"Oh, really? We'll see about that," Fireheart replied, looking at him with an overly serious expression on her face. "Just you wait. My Clan of kits and I will take over the forest, one Clan's territory at a time. There will be no escape for anyone. And once we're done with the forest, we'll be setting our sights on StarClan's hunting grounds."

"I don't think you can take over StarClan's territory, Fireheart," Bluefur meowed, looking amused.

"Challenge accepted," Fireheart answered in a mock-haughty voice. She paused for a moment, then added, "But don't worry, you'll all be granted immunity. All of my friends will."

After a few more moments of sarcastic banter between Fireheart and her former mentor, she got to her paws and headed off for the gorse tunnel to meet up with the rest of the patrol. Tigerclaw padded after her, and the group headed out into the forest. He was still laughing at the mental image of Fireheart surrounded by an entire Clan's worth of kits. Even though he knew it would never happen for real, he couldn't help wondering how they would be able to come up with names for such a large number of kits. He could barely think of a good name for one kit.

Fortunately, those days wouldn't arrive until much later in the future. For now, he could just enjoy being with Fireheart and watching Willowpaw and Redpaw develop into fine ThunderClan warriors.


	27. StarClan's Greatest Gift

Fireheart paced about the camp anxiously, waiting for Sunstar's patrol to return. Earlier that day, the ThunderClan leader had announced that he would be taking a patrol of warriors into RiverClan territory to demand Sunningrocks back. She had been invited to go, but a stomachache had prevented her from being able to accompany her Clanmates. As a matter of fact, she had been having a myriad of stomach problems lately, vomiting in the morning and dealing with constant aches throughout the day. Sometimes, she swore she could feel something moving around in her belly as well as if her fresh-kill had suddenly come back to life and was crawling around inside of her.

"You know, pacing around like that isn't going to make them come back any sooner," Whitestorm meowed mildly. A few tail-lengths away, Redtail and Willowpelt watched her with amusement and sympathy in their gazes.

"I know, I know," Fireheart muttered, although she didn't stop. "I'm just stressed out, that's all. And my stomach's been bothering me and I feel like there are little mice crawling around in there, which doesn't help matters."

Redtail and Willowpelt glanced at each other excitedly, while Whitestorm looked thoughtful. Fireheart stared at her friends in confusion. What was so exciting about the fact that she had some sort of strange stomach bug?

Later that evening, Sunstar and the rest of the patrol finally emerged through the gorse tunnel. As soon as Tigerclaw saw her, he raced over to her and brushed his muzzle against her cheek in greeting, but Fireheart could only manage a purr in response. She didn't have the energy to do anything else at the moment.

"Are you okay?" Tigerclaw asked, looking at her in concern.

"I'm fine," Fireheart reassured him. "Just a little tired and sick, that's all. How did it go?"

"The talk went fine, but the real test will be tomorrow," her mate told her. "We're going to mark the borders at dawn. If RiverClan doesn't send a patrol of its own, we'll assume that Sunstar's intimidation worked and Sunningrocks will be ours again."

"You should go see Featherwhisker if you're still not feeling well, Fireheart," Bluefur meowed, padding over to join them. Fireheart jumped slightly; she hadn't realized that her former mentor had heard their conversation. There was an odd, almost distant look in the blue-gray warrior's eyes that she couldn't decipher, and Fireheart wondered what was on her mind.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll go do that," she murmured. She glanced over at Tigerclaw and added, "I'll see you in the den later."

Nodding a quick farewell to her mate and former mentor, Fireheart turned away and walked over to the medicine clearing. Inside the den, Featherwhisker and Spottedpaw were busy sorting herbs. They glanced up as she entered, waving their tails in greeting.

"Hi there, Fireheart. What can we do for you?" Spottedpaw asked cheerfully.

"I just came to see if you had any herbs for a stomach bug," Fireheart answered. "I've been vomiting a lot in the mornings recently and my stomach is aching constantly."

Featherwhisker eyed her thoughtfully. "Anything else you've been feeling?" he asked.

"Er–well, sometimes it feels as if I have something moving around inside of me," Fireheart replied, bewildered by the medicine cat's question. "Why do you ask?"

"Do you mind if I feel around your belly?" Featherwhisker asked.

"Sure, I guess?" she meowed uncertainly, still wondering what it was that Featherwhisker was so interested in.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt," the gray tom reassured her. "I just want to check for something."

Fireheart nodded and allowed Featherwhisker to prod at her stomach gently. He was right about one thing; it certainly didn't hurt, although it did feel strange. Then again, that probably had more to do with the fact that she wasn't used to having someone poking her in the stomach. She wondered what he was looking for. Whatever it was, apparently it wasn't particularly easy to find.

"Alright, I think I've figured everything out," Featherwhisker meowed, removing his paws from her stomach and stepping back.

"Great. Can I get some herbs now, please?" Fireheart asked politely.

However, the medicine cat just shook his head. "You're not sick, Fireheart. You're expecting kits."

_I...I'm expecting kits? _

Fireheart stared at Featherwhisker in disbelief, trying to process what she had just heard. For several moments, the only thing she could do was open and close her mouth wordlessly like a dying fish. She couldn't help herself; it was a lot to take in. There was a little life growing inside of her–or perhaps there were multiple, but she wouldn't know for another two moons. She and Tigerclaw were going to have a family.

"I'm...I'm going to have kits?" she repeated, trying to make sure she had heard properly.

"That's right," Featherwhisker meowed warmly, his eyes gleaming. "Congratulations, Fireheart."

"T-thank you," Fireheart meowed, still trying to process the news.

She was going to be a mother. In just two short moons, she would be nursing a little daughter or son. Part of her wondered whether she was ready to be a mother yet, but most of her felt too happy to care. Purring in thanks to Featherwhisker and Spottedpaw, Fireheart turned and bounded out of the medicine den in search of Tigerclaw, hoping that he hadn't gone to bed already. Of course, she didn't mind waiting until morning to tell him her news, but she wanted to let him know as soon as possible.

Fortunately, she spotted him sharing a piece of fresh-kill with Leopardfoot, Whitestorm, and Bluefur. Padding over to join them, Fireheart took a seat beside her mate, her head still floating somewhere above the clouds. Her friends looked up at her, their expressions growing keen with interest when they saw the look on her face.

"Someone looks cheerful," Leopardfoot noted.

"Are you okay?" Tigerclaw asked, looking her over in concern. "Featherwhisker didn't have bad news for you, did he? I mean, I guess he can't have since you look happy about something, but what did he tell you? You _are _alright, aren't you? Right?"

Fireheart purred in amusement and gently touched her tail-tip to the dark tabby's shoulder. "I'm fine," she reassured him. "And I do have good news. Better than good, actually. I–well, I mean, we–we're going to have kits."

For a moment, Tigerclaw just stared at her as if he'd forgotten how to speak. Then, slowly, his eyes lit up with excitement and he pressed his muzzle against her cheek, purring with happiness.

"You're going to be a wonderful mother," he murmured. "And our kits will be the best warriors in the Clan. Strong, smart, and beautiful, just like you."

"Congratulations, Fireheart," Bluefur meowed warmly.

"Thanks," Fireheart purred.

"Do I get to name any of them?" Whitestorm asked.

Fireheart rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Sure, if I have more than one kit, you can name one of them. Just as long as you don't give any of my children a stupid name."

"You have no faith in me?" Whitestorm asked with a look of mock hurt on his face.

"Sorry, Whitestorm. You might be my friend, but everyone knows that if anyone's going to be bad at naming kits, it's going to be you."

The white warrior chuckled, shaking his head. "I suppose you're probably right," he admitted.

Later that night, Fireheart curled up in her nest beside Tigerclaw, ready to tuck in after a long day. Instead of falling asleep, however, she remained awake throughout most of the night, thinking about the unborn kits in her belly. She wondered if she would be as good of a mother as Tigerclaw thought she would be. Of course, she would do everything she could to give her kits a happy life, but would it be enough? Only time would tell.

_One thing's for sure, though, _Fireheart thought determinedly. _If I have more than one kit, none of them will ever be made to feel as if there's something wrong with them. My kits are going to know that their family supports them. They won't grow up the way I did. _

* * *

**Fireheart is having kits! I decided to skip over Redtail and Willowpelt's warrior ceremony since writing ceremonies gets old after a while. **

**Just to put things in perspective, it's been about a year since Thistleclaw's death, so Redtail and Willowpelt have been warriors for about six moons now. So Fireheart is about 30 moons old, or 2 and a half years old, and Tigerclaw is a moon older than her. **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**scarlett quagmire: You got your wish! **

**KrazyKube: Hmm, a contest sounds interesting! The only problem is, I'm not sure how exactly to host one. I'll probably just post a list of a few kit names and let my readers vote on which one they like best. **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: BloodClan has nothing on FireClan, lol. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	28. Bluefur's Secret

Two days later, Fireheart padded out of the camp as the sun was beginning to peer over the edge of the horizon, intent on catching a few pieces of prey. The sky promised a clear day, and with leaf-bare on its way, she wanted to take advantage of the few remaining days of good weather. As she pushed her way out through the gorse tunnel, Fireheart was startled to meet Bluefur coming back, her fur smelling of the forest and something faint that she couldn't identify.

"Fireheart!" Bluefur exclaimed, stepping back. "What are you doing?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd go out and hunt," Fireheart answered. "What about you?"

"Same here," the blue-gray molly admitted. Fireheart suspected that she wasn't telling the whole truth, but she chose not to press the issue. "But I didn't have any luck. I think the prey must still be asleep or hiding."

"Oh, really?" Fireheart meowed, glancing over at the trees beyond the older warrior's shoulder. "Maybe I'll just patrol the borders for a bit, then."

"Sounds like a good idea," Bluefur agreed.

"You can come along too," the flame-colored molly invited. "I'm sure Tigerclaw won't be up for a while since he isn't on the dawn patrol, and I wouldn't mind some company."

"Sure, why not?" her former mentor answered.

Together, the two mollies padded off in the direction of the Twolegplace border. Every so often, Fireheart paused to sniff the air for a sign of prey but came up empty-pawed every single time. Bluefur had been telling the truth; there wasn't any sign of prey anywhere.

_Let's hope the prey really _is _just asleep, _she thought to herself.

"What did you say?" Bluefur asked, glancing over at her.

Fireheart hadn't realized that she'd been speaking out loud. "Oh, I was just saying that I hope the prey really _is _just asleep," she meowed. "We still have another moon or so until leaf-bare, and we can't afford to have a shortage of fresh-kill already."

"Ah," Bluefur meowed, bounding over a log. "Well, I'm sure the prey hasn't disappeared completely. But you're right, the forest does seem unusually empty."

"I guess we'll just have to hope for the best, then," Fireheart answered.

They continued along the border in silence for a few heartbeats, their fur fluffed up against the cold. Fireheart thought she could detect Ruby and Socks' scents, but they were so faint she couldn't be too sure. She wondered what had become of her siblings since she had last seen them, if they had been taken in by a sympathetic Twoleg or if they were still living as loners. Perhaps they had been lucky enough to find their father, wherever he had gone.

"Do you ever feel lonely in ThunderClan?" Bluefur asked suddenly.

Fireheart blinked, startled by the question. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason, really," the older warrior answered. "It's just that...well, I know you're surrounded by cats every day, but all of your kin lives in Twolegplace. Don't you ever wish you had family in ThunderClan like everyone else?"

Fireheart pondered the question for several moments. Once, she would have said no without a second thought, but things had changed since then. She had to admit that she wouldn't mind having kin in ThunderClan, but she had so few happy memories of her blood family, she couldn't say for sure that it would have made anything better.

"Sometimes, yes," she admitted finally. "I wouldn't mind having family in ThunderClan. But I don't think I would want _my _family in ThunderClan. Except for my mother, maybe, but I don't think I could ever see her living as a wild cat. And anyway..."

"You still miss her."

It wasn't a question, but Fireheart nodded anyway. "I don't have many good memories of my time in Twolegplace–hardly any, as a matter of fact–but in all the ones I do, she's in every single one of them. She was the only one who was actually nice to me and she tried her best to get my siblings to leave me alone once in a while, even if they weren't too interested in listening to her. I just hope she's happy in...well, wherever kittypets go when they die."

"I know what you mean," Bluefur murmured. "I lost Moonflower when I was just barely a new apprentice, and I still miss her. But I know she's watching over me in StarClan, and I'm sure your mother is still watching over you too."

"Perhaps," Fireheart agreed. Shaking her head, she went on, "So, what about you and Snowfur? Did you two get along?"

"We got along best when we were kits," the blue-gray warrior replied. "But things went downhill for a while between us after Moonflower died. Snowfur got over it faster than I did, and I couldn't understand why she moved on so quickly. And even after we got past that, I had to watch as she started growing closer to Thistleclaw. It looked as if things were going to finally be better between us after Whitestorm was born, but then she died."

"I met her once," Fireheart meowed without thinking. Bluefur glanced over at her.

"You did? When?" she asked.

"While I was sick with greencough, she came to visit me," the flame-colored warrior answered. "Or maybe I paid a quick visit to StarClan, I'm still not really sure. I don't really remember what we talked about, but she was nice. She looked a lot like you except for her pelt color."

Bluefur's whiskers twitched. "Yes, it usually comes with being sisters."

Fireheart flicked her tail. "I don't know, my littermates don't really look like me," she meowed. "I got our father's build and they got our mother's. One of their favorite jokes was telling me I wasn't their sister and that I had been picked up on the side of the Thunderpath. I didn't believe them until I saw one of the other Twolegs bringing an abandoned kitten into her home."

"You poor thing," Bluefur chuckled.

"It's okay, I got back at them by stuffing catnip in their food," Fireheart meowed smugly. "_And _I got away with it too."

Her former mentor laughed. "Your mother didn't catch you?"

"No, I'm pretty sure she knew it was me," she answered. "But I think she decided to let it slide since they spent so much of their time acting like little pieces of fox dung. Anyway, it's not as if I actually hurt them. They just had to spend most of the afternoon laughing at clouds."

"Do they still live in Twolegplace?" Bluefur asked.

"Probably," Fireheart meowed dismissively. "But not as kittypets. I ran into them with Tigerclaw a few moons ago, and their housefolk had thrown them out. Of course, it has been a while, so it's possible they've been taken in by someone else now."

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the two warriors made their way towards Sunningrocks. To Fireheart's relief, there were a few mice scurrying about. It looked as though there was still prey in the forest after all. Dropping into a hunting crouch, she padded forward swiftly and silently, pouncing on two mice at once and killing both of them.

"Good catch," Bluefur meowed.

"Thanks," Fireheart replied. "Good thing we have these rocks back, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah it is," her friend agreed, but she seemed distracted by something across the river. Fireheart looked over to see a familiar brown tabby patrolling along the river.

"Isn't that Oakheart?" she asked.

"It is," the blue-gray molly confirmed. There was a faint look of longing in her eyes, but she blinked it away before Fireheart could be too sure of what she saw.

As she watched, Fireheart could have sworn she saw Oakheart glance across the river at Bluefur. She frowned slightly, wondering why he was so interested in her former mentor. Her curiosity was further piqued when Oakheart swam across the river, shaking the water out of his fur as he climbed out and padding over to them.

"What do you think you're doing here?" she demanded. "This land belongs to ThunderClan now, in case you're too stupid to remember what happened just two days ago. Or are RiverClan warriors so arrogant that they think they can just come and go wherever they please?"

"I'm not here to cause trouble," Oakheart promised. "I just need to talk to Bluefur."

"Why?" Fireheart asked suspiciously. "Usually when a warrior needs to talk to another Clan, they go to the leader or the deputy, not just any regular warrior."

"It's none of your concern," the brown tabby snapped.

"Actually, you're trespassing on my territory right now, so if I'm not mistaken it is."

Oakheart chuckled, looking rather amused. "Well, considering I'm trespassing, you might as well chase me off. Go on, then. I'm waiting."

Fireheart let out a hiss, her claws scraping across the rocky surface. How _dare _this arrogant excuse for a warrior mock her? Who did he think he was? He had no business coming onto her territory. She had half a mind to send him home with half his fur missing.

"It's alright, Fireheart," Bluefur meowed, resting her tail gently on her shoulder. "I'm sure if he were here to cause trouble, he'd have done something by now."

"Fine," Fireheart muttered, forcing her fur to lie flat. She glared at Oakheart and added, "Just so we're clear, I'm only letting you off the hook because I'm not in the mood to start a fight right now–and anyway, it's not as if you would be a worthy opponent for me. No offense or anything. Now go, before a patrol comes and catches you here because I guarantee you that _they _won't be as merciful."

Oakheart gave one last look at her and Bluefur before turning away and swimming back across to his side of the river. Fireheart let out a sigh of exasperation, picking up her mice and stalking back in the direction of the trees with Bluefur padding alongside her.

"StarClan, I hate him," she muttered.

"He's really not that bad," Bluefur meowed quietly. "I know he's arrogant, but he's a good Clanmate and brother."

"Well, he can be a good Clanmate and brother on his own territory," Fireheart retorted. "You'd think he would know better than to just swim over onto our territory whenever he feels like it. But I guess all RiverClan warriors have fish for brains. Maybe they should consider a diet change or something."

"Are you going to report him to Sunstar?" the blue-furred warrior asked.

Fireheart thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't think it's worth it," she admitted. "It's not like anything actually happened other than him being a pain in the tail."

"Good idea," Bluefur agreed.

"He seemed oddly interested in you, though," she continued. "Any idea what that was all about?"

"Who knows?" the older molly replied. "He's a RiverClan warrior. Nobody knows why they do anything."

Her tone was nonchalant, almost dismissive–but her eyes told another story altogether. For just a moment, Fireheart swore she saw the same wistful look in her friend's eyes that Thrushpelt wore whenever he laid eyes on the blue-gray molly.

"You like him," she meowed quietly.

Bluefur started slightly. "What–I do not!"

Fireheart rolled her eyes. "Bluefur, you're my friend and I like you, but you're a terrible liar. You look the same way Thrushpelt does whenever he sees you."

"Oh, not you too," Bluefur griped. "What is it with everyone being so interested in me and Thrushpelt?"

"Consider it payback for all the comments you used to make about me and Tigerclaw," Fireheart retorted. "Look, I'm not trying to tell you to get together with Thrushpelt and to be honest, I don't really care whether you take a mate from another Clan, but did you really have to choose _Oakheart _of all cats? I mean, for StarClan's sake, you could have at least picked someone who doesn't act as though he's StarClan's greatest gift to the forest."

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

"Oh–of course, I won't, but you know this won't stay a secret forever," she pointed out. "Sooner or later, the Clan is going to find out one way or another."

"I know," Bluefur admitted. "I don't plan on seeing him again, but–"

"What do you mean _again_?" Fireheart interrupted. "Have you met with him before?"

The older warrior hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Last night," she meowed. "He asked me to meet with him at Fourtrees, and we spent the night together there. We–"

"Okay, okay," Fireheart interrupted. "I don't need to hear every detail."

"Oh, alright," Bluefur meowed. She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "So, you're really not going to say anything?"

"No," the flame-colored warrior replied. She didn't approve of Bluefur's relationship, but she wouldn't dream of telling on her. "I might not trust a hair on Oakheart's pelt, but I'm not going to report you."

"Why not?" Bluefur asked. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but most cats wouldn't just let it slide if they found out their Clanmate was a traitor."

"I don't think you're a traitor," Fireheart meowed quietly.

Bluefur looked at her in surprise. "Really? Even after I just admitted to breaking the warrior code and betraying ThunderClan by meeting with Oakheart, you still don't think I'm a traitor? Why is that?"

"Because it's not accurate," Fireheart replied simply. "Being a traitor would imply that you intended to do something to hurt ThunderClan. But I know you and I know you wouldn't do that. You may have the worst possible taste in cats, but everyone lets their heart get the best of them once in their lives. And anyway, I can guarantee you that nobody's bloodline is completely pure. Wild cats have definitely existed longer than the Clans–it just makes sense, you know? There had to be wild cats before there was an organized system of living between them, and the warrior code is even younger than that. So I'll bet the entire fresh-kill pile that there are inter-Clan relationships somewhere along everyone's family line. The only difference is that they weren't illegal back then."

"But they are now," Bluefur pointed out.

"Yes," Fireheart admitted. "And maybe that needs to change. Don't get me wrong, I understand that the warrior code is sacred, but a lot of these rules were put in place generations ago. And from what I've heard from the elders' stories, most of them were created after one cat slipped up. I mean, don't you think it's a little over the top to create an entire law banning something just because one cat made a mistake? Sure, some of the rules make sense like the rule about doing everything we can to protect kits, but others just seem outdated and honestly cause more trouble than they're worth. Not to mention there are a few contradictions as well."

"Like what?" the blue-gray molly asked.

"Like the fact that we have a rule about protecting kits but also a rule about not trespassing on other Clans' territory," Fireheart answered. "Let's say, for example, that you're patrolling by the ShadowClan border and you see a ShadowClan kit on his side of the border being stalked by a fox with no warriors or queens nearby. What exactly are you supposed to do then? You'd be breaking the warrior code by going over and saving the kit, but you'd also be breaking it by leaving him there to die."

"I guess you'd just have to choose the lesser of two evils," Bluefur meowed.

"Yeah, I'd go for the kit too," Fireheart agreed. "But going back to the original discussion, I still think the rule about not taking mates in another Clan is stupid. I mean, it definitely happened before and it doesn't seem as though the Clans had any problem with it at first. But then someone just happened to slip up, and all of a sudden they had to ban cats from becoming mates with warriors from other Clans. And I don't see why the mistake of one cat–or, well, I guess two in this case–should be the end-all deciding factor in creating a law that will affect generations of cats to come even after they've been forgotten."

"And it's not as if the law does any good either," she went on. "You can tell someone how to think, but matters of the heart? That's another issue altogether. No matter how many laws you make or how severe the punishment, you can't just force yourself not to fall in love with someone, even if they are from another Clan. And what about when the worst happens and two cats from separate Clans have kits? Everyone finds out one way or another, and they act as if the kits are to blame even though nobody has any say in who their parents are. And you also have those who think they're better than everyone else just because their parents came from the same Clan, which isn't true either. If mixed Clan relationships worked before, there's no reason why they shouldn't still work now. Two cats from different Clans can fall in love and it has nothing to do with whether either one of them is still loyal to their birth Clan. Besides, if your relationship means so much to you that it completely interferes with your ability to serve your Clan, then you probably shouldn't be a warrior in the first place."

Bluefur touched her nose gently to her ear. "Tigerclaw's lucky to have you," she murmured. "You're going to make a wonderful mother, Fireheart."

"I hope so," Fireheart murmured. "I know it's going to be leaf-bare when they're born, and it's always hard finding food during the cold season. I just hope I'll be able to provide for them."

"You're going to be just fine," Bluefur soothed her. "And the Clan will make sure you have enough milk to feed your kits. We aren't going to let them go hungry."

When they arrived back at the camp, Tigerclaw was sharing a meal with Leopardfoot and Thrushpelt. As soon as he saw her, he bounded over to greet her, his eyes glowing with happiness. Fireheart touched her nose to his in greeting.

"You're back," Tigerclaw purred. "I was wondering where you went."

"Sorry, I had trouble sleeping so I decided to go hunting," Fireheart meowed. "Didn't have much luck, but I did manage to catch these two mice."

"I'll leave you two to it, then," Bluefur chuckled. "I can see when I'm not needed."

Fireheart rolled her eyes and watched as the blue-gray warrior padded over to speak to Sunstar, who was standing by the medicine den with Featherwhisker. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she could see Thrushpelt looking at Bluefur with the same look of longing he always wore. She felt a pang of sympathy, knowing exactly what he wanted and also knowing that it was never going to happen. He must have known as well, considering he hadn't tried to make a move despite the fact that everyone knew he had been in love with Bluefur for seasons.

She would never understand what Bluefur saw in Oakheart, not because of where he came from, but because his personality disgusted her. He wasn't cruel or bloodthirsty, but he had an ego bigger than the entire forest. But then again, perhaps Bluefur was right and there was more to him than met the eye. Anyway, Tigerclaw had been just as arrogant when she met him, and he had changed since then. Perhaps Oakheart was capable of the same.

And if he made Bluefur happy, was there really anything to complain about?

* * *

**Fireheart's a sweetheart lol. She just wants her friends to be happy. **

**So yes, Bluefur is still mates with Oakheart and yes, she will still have his kits, but (spoiler alert) she will not be giving them up because there's no need for her to do so. With Thistleclaw dead, there's no threat of him destroying ThunderClan. Which means that Mosskit will live. Yay! **

**Speaking of kits, I'm only giving Fireheart one kit for her first litter. The reason for this will be mentioned in a future chapter. But don't worry, this won't be her only litter and she'll definitely have more in future litters. I've settled on five names for her, so pick your favorite one and leave a review telling me which one you want. **

**1\. Flykit **

**2\. Stormkit **

**3\. Daisykit **

**4\. Petalkit **

**5\. Beekit **

**Featherflight also suggested Briarkit and Scorchkit, so you can vote for those as well. And fear not, even if your favorite isn't the winner, I plan to use all of these names at some point. They just won't be the name for Fireheart and Tigerclaw's firstborn child. **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**Riley-Cooper123: Yeah, I know what you mean and to be honest I don't mind those stories, but it wouldn't make sense in this setting. Considering the Clan is about to go through an extremely harsh leaf-bare, it wouldn't make sense to have Fireheart trying to nurse six kits at once. There's no way she would be able to manage it and a few of them would most definitely die of starvation. I also don't think she and Tigerclaw would have the same kits that Tigerclaw or Fireheart had with their canon mates. **

**KrazyKube: Probably not, I've never been a fan of the whole tragic love story centering around Spottedleaf. I mean, I get why they did it and it does make sense that Firepaw would have a crush on her when you think about it, but I don't like regulating female characters to the role of a "tragic lost love". The writers already do that enough as it is (*cough* Honeyfern *cough*). **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Yeah, I really don't like writing ceremonies since they all go the exact same way. And yes, Bluefur is having kits, although she doesn't know it just yet. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	29. Surprises

**Okay, so before we get started with the chapter, I just wanted to mention that the timeline got a little messy since I forgot that Mousefur and Runningwind were in the nursery when Mistykit, Stonekit, and Mosskit were born. So that's why they're older in this fic than in canon.**

* * *

Over the next quarter moon, Fireheart kept to her warrior duties as usual. She knew she would need to move into the nursery at some point, but she wanted to savor her last few days of freedom. On top of that, she didn't feel like living in the nursery alone. Mousepaw and Runningpaw were apprentices now, which meant White-eye had gone back to the warriors' den.

One day, however, Fireheart learned that she wouldn't have to be alone in the nursery after all. Bluefur pulled her aside after returning from a training session with Runningpaw and asked to speak to her alone.

"What's wrong?" she asked, following the older warrior out of the camp. "Is everything okay? Did something happen?"

"No, no," Bluefur answered quickly. She paused for a moment, then added, "Well, technically, yes."

Fireheart frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Bluefur shut her eyes for a moment, then meowed, "I–I'm expecting kits."

For a few moments, all Fireheart could do was stare at her friend as she tried to formulate a response. Of course, the typical response in a situation such as this would be a word of congratulations, but they both knew it wasn't as simple as that. There could be no doubt in either of their minds who the father of Bluefur's kits was and if things went wrong, the rest of the Clan would soon come to know as well.

Finally, unsure what else to say, the flame-colored molly meowed, "You–you went to see Oakheart again?"

"No!" Bluefur exclaimed. "No, I didn't. It must have happened that night I met him at Fourtrees."

_Wow, talk about bad luck, _Fireheart thought with a wince. _What's the chance that you spend _one _night with a cat from another Clan and just happen to get pregnant? It's not a guaranteed thing that a queen gets pregnant every time–er, never mind. _

"Rosetail and Leopardfoot both think Thrushpelt is the father," her former mentor admitted. "And Thrushpelt already agreed to pretend to be the father for me. But I thought I should let you know since you obviously know the truth."

"You're going to have Thrushpelt pretend to be the father of your kits when he's been padding after you for seasons?" Fireheart asked, frowning slightly. "Doesn't that seem a little cruel to you?"

"He offered to do it," Bluefur explained. "Rosetail congratulated him on becoming a father, so that's how he found out. I'm just lucky that he didn't ask any questions."

"Ah, I see," Fireheart meowed, nodding. "Well...it sounds like everything is in order, then. All you've got to do is wait until your kits arrive now, right?"

However, the older warrior shook her head. "Not quite," she meowed. "I still need to tell Oakheart about them. He's their father; he deserves to know." She hesitated for a moment, then continued, "But I don't know when or how I should tell him."

Fireheart stared at the blue-gray warrior for a few heartbeats, then meowed, "Bluefur, I mean this with all the respect in the world, but that is a _terrible _idea. First of all, you already have a father for your kits. Granted, Thrushpelt isn't their real father, but it's good enough and I'm sure he'll love your kits just as much as Oakheart would. And for another, what exactly do you think you'll accomplish by telling Oakheart about them? He would hardly ever get to see them anyway. It's not like either of you can just up and move to another Clan, especially not with leaf-bare almost here."

"I know," Bluefur admitted. "But I still feel like he deserves to know...I mean, I would if I were in his place."

"Does it really matter, though? Most fathers don't stay too involved with their kits' lives anyway," Fireheart pointed out.

Privately, she wondered if that was the future awaiting her and Tigerclaw's kits. Fireheart knew it wasn't fair of her to doubt her mate when he had been nothing but loving and supportive of her, but it wasn't exactly a secret that most toms grew distant from their kits after a few moons. Sparrowpelt hardly ever interacted with Mousepaw and Runningpaw anymore, and from what she heard, Stormtail hadn't done much to act as a father to Bluefur and Snowfur even when they were only a few days old. Her own father had disappeared before she and her littermates were even born, and Fireheart still had no idea where he was now.

But then again, Tigerclaw had been so happy when he learned that she was going to have his kits. Perhaps he would be different. Besides that, he also knew what it felt like to be abandoned by a parent, so maybe that would prevent him from doing the same.

"Look," Fireheart meowed finally, pushing her thoughts aside. "I assume you _are _planning to raise your kits as ThunderClan cats, right?"

"Of course," Bluefur replied, nodding.

"So there you have it, then," the flame-colored molly meowed simply. "Your kits can grow up as ThunderClan cats with ThunderClan parents. Nobody has to know the truth except for us. You know that I think the rule against having a mate in another Clan makes about as much sense as decorating the inside of your nest with brambles and trying to see if it will somehow allow you to summon the spirit of Thunderstar to haunt the ShadowClan camp–"

Bluefur snorted with laughter.

"But we both know that the rest of the Clan isn't going to see it the same way," Fireheart finished. "_Nobody _else is going to see it the same way. I mean, no offense or anything, but forest-born cats are a little too loyal to the warrior code sometimes. If we tell anyone the truth, your kits going to spend their entire lives being judged over the circumstances of their birth no matter what they do. So it's best for everyone that Oakheart doesn't learn about his kits and they're allowed to grow up believing they're pure ThunderClan warriors."

"I suppose you're right," Bluefur agreed, her eyes slightly downcast. "I just wish things could be different."

Fireheart wanted to comfort her friend and tell her that things would be different one day, but she knew better than to make empty promises. If the Clans hadn't realized how ridiculous some of their laws were by now, the warrior code wasn't likely to change anytime soon. Instead, she licked Bluefur's shoulder and felt the blue-gray warrior rest her head against her shoulder.

"Thanks, Fireheart," she murmured.

"It's alright," Fireheart meowed softly. "And hey, look on the bright side. Our kits are going to be denmates!"

"That's true," Bluefur agreed, chuckling as she bounded over a tree stump. "And if your kits are anything like you, we're never going to get a wink of sleep."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Fireheart demanded.

"Nothing, Fireheart, nothing at all."

"You know what, Bluefur? Just for that, I'm going to make sure my kits wake you up at dawn every single day just to spite you."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Challenge accepted."

Later that afternoon, Fireheart and Bluefur returned to the camp with a piece of prey each in their jaws. They hadn't had much success with their hunt, but they knew they had to bring something to show for their disappearance. As they deposited their prey in the fresh-kill pile, Rosetail bounded over to them.

"Bluefur, did you tell her the news?" the tabby warrior asked excitedly.

"Yes, I did," Bluefur meowed, glancing down at her paws.

Rosetail's eyes lit up and she turned to Fireheart. "Isn't it wonderful?" she purred. "More kits for ThunderClan! We're going to have more warriors than any other Clan in the forest soon."

"Perhaps," Fireheart agreed politely. She glanced around the camp for Tigerclaw, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Do you know where Tigerclaw is, by any chance?"

"Oh, Tawnyspots assigned him to a border patrol. But he should be back soon," Rosetail answered. "He told me to make sure you ate something, though. Got to keep up your energy and all that, since you're eating for more than one now. So come on, take a piece of fresh-kill and join me and Leopardfoot."

"Sure, alright," Fireheart meowed, picking up a rabbit. She had been hoping to share a meal with Tigerclaw, but it looked as though that wouldn't be happening. Glancing over her shoulder, she called out, "You can come too, Bluefur."

However, the blue-gray warrior just shook her head. "I think I'm just going to rest for a bit," she meowed. "Thanks anyway, though."

Fireheart nodded and turned to follow Rosetail over to where Leopardfoot was waiting for them. Taking a seat with her friends, she took a bite out of her rabbit and chewed slowly. It was a bit tougher than usual, but it still tasted fairly decent nonetheless.

"I take it you've heard the news, then?" Leopardfoot meowed by way of greeting.

"That Bluefur and Thrushpelt are having kits? Yes, I have," Fireheart answered.

"It's great, isn't it?" the black queen asked, her eyes shining. "Bluefur's going to be a wonderful mother. And you two will be raising your kits together."

"Yeah, it's great," Fireheart agreed, swallowing another bite of rabbit meat.

Privately, she couldn't help thinking that it was strange that everybody assumed Thrushpelt was the father of Bluefur's kits when it was clear to anyone with eyes that the attraction was purely one-sided. It wasn't as though Bluefur had made it a secret that she didn't feel the same way, after all. Perhaps everyone was so desperate for them to get together that they had jumped to conclusions.

Of course, knowing what the alternative was, there was no denying it was for the best.

* * *

**Bluefur's kits are officially on their way! Well, technically they were on their way before, but the news is out in the open now. **

**So yes, as far as everyone is concerned, Mistykit, Stonekit, and Mosskit are going to grow up believing they're pure ThunderClan warriors. Let's be honest, it's better this way, especially since they're going to live in ThunderClan their entire lives anyway. Not like the truth makes anything better. **

**Fireheart's kits will be arriving during the next chapter, which will be posted in a few days, so get your votes in while you can! And remember, even if your favorite doesn't get picked, don't worry. I'll be using all of them at some point during the story. **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**scarlett quagmire: Don't worry, Bluefur's kits will still have the same names. Although, I'm still trying to think of a warrior name for Mosskit. Fortunately, that chapter won't happen for a while. **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Oh, she definitely is. This is the cat who tried to kick Tigerclaw's ass on her first day in the forest and was starstruck over falling snow. She also just thinks everyone deserves a chance at happiness–well, except for Thistleclaw, that is, but no need to worry about him now. **

**KrazyKube: Fireheart may be an idiot, but she does have her moments. **

**draconic skysong: Honestly, I'm not sure how far this will go. I was originally planning to have it continue through the original series, but I've been considering having it end when Bluefur becomes Clan leader. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, though. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	30. Welcome to the World

"Oh, for the love of all the stars above!"

Fireheart gritted her teeth as another wave of pain wracked her body, resisting the urge to utter a few words that should never be repeated in front of kits. Granted, there weren't any kits in the nursery as of yet, but she wasn't sure if her unborn children could hear what she was saying. Regardless, she didn't want their first word to be a curse–but did giving birth _have _to be so painful?

On the other hand, kits were usually born knowing how to speak anyway, so the chances of that happening were low.

"Why in the name of all things did StarClan have to make this so painful?" Fireheart demanded as Featherwhisker felt along her belly to see how the birth was progressing. "Is this a punishment of some sort? How does any queen manage this? Actually, forget that, how does any queen manage this more than once?"

"You're doing wonderfully, Fireheart," Rosetail meowed soothingly, which only served to infuriate the flame-colored queen even further.

"Don't you dare tell me I'm doing wonderfully! Not until you have to suffer through this!" Fireheart screeched. "My insides are splitting open! Can one of you tell this kit to hurry up already? Bluefur, _get that stick out of my face this instant_!"

Bluefur quickly retracted the stick she had placed beside Fireheart's mouth. Fireheart let out another yowl of pain as another contraction seized her body, digging her claws into her nest. The entrance to the nursery rustled and she managed to glance up to see Leopardfoot entering with a bundle of wet moss.

"How are things going?" Leopardfoot asked, dropping the bundle of moss at Fireheart's paws.

"Slow going, and I think it's starting to take a toll on her," Bluefur meowed, her whiskers twitching with a mixture of sympathy and amusement. "Tigerclaw was in here at the start, but Fireheart screamed at him to get out."

"I'm right here, you know," Fireheart grumbled.

Featherwhisker continued feeling along her belly, muttering to himself occasionally. The medicine cat's expression was serious but not worried, which reassured Fireheart. If he thought all was going well, then her kit was probably doing just fine. Even so, that didn't stop her from wanting to claw his ears off. Not that he had done anything wrong, but being in this much pain made her want to claw _everyone's _ears off.

"How do you feel?" Featherwhisker asked.

"With my paws, you idiot!" Fireheart snarled back.

Another contraction hit, and she screeched in agony. Gasping for breath, Fireheart stared down at the wet moss at her paws. Her throat felt dry and sore, but she couldn't even begin to imagine drinking anything at this point. She was in too much pain to think about doing much of anything.

Finally, after what felt like moons of waiting, Featherwhisker suddenly exclaimed, "It's coming! I see it! Alright, Fireheart, I need you to start pushing."

Fireheart clenched her teeth and did as Featherwhisker had instructed. For a moment, she thought she could feel something moving, but she wasn't quite sure if it was real or just a figment of her imagination. Considering the state she was in, anything seemed possible.

She was going to kill Tigerclaw when he came back. How dare he leave her when she was giving birth to his kits?

"You're almost there, Fireheart! Just keep pushing!" Featherwhisker encouraged her.

_Oh, wait a moment. I kicked him out, didn't I? _

"It's almost here! Just one more push should do the trick," the medicine cat meowed urgently.

Gritting her teeth, Fireheart summoned up what strength she had left and pushed as hard as she could one last time. As she did so, a wet bundle tumbled onto the mossy nest. She glanced down, watching as Bluefur began licking the kit while Featherwhisker felt along her belly to see if there were any more kits coming.

"Are there any more?" Rosetail asked.

"That's it," Featherwhisker announced, placing the now-mewling kitten at Fireheart's belly, where she latched on and began suckling. "Congratulations, Fireheart. You have a healthy daughter."

But Fireheart barely heard a word the gray tom was saying. Her attention was focused entirely on her newborn daughter suckling at her belly. The little molly was a tortoiseshell, and Fireheart knew that she would grow up to be a beautiful warrior one day. Instinctively, she curled her tail protectively around her kit.

"She's gorgeous, Fireheart," Bluefur murmured.

"Thank you," Fireheart purred. "Will one of you get Tigerclaw for me?"

"I'll go get him," Leopardfoot volunteered, slipping out of the nursery.

Barely a heartbeat later, the black-furred warrior reentered with Tigerclaw following close behind. The dark tabby glanced around the nursery, his eyes lighting up as they fell upon his mate and newborn kit. Knocking Rosetail aside, he rushed over to get a better look.

"She's beautiful," Tigerclaw purred, licking Fireheart's forehead before gently touching his nose to their daughter's ear. "What do you want to name her?"

"How about Stormkit?" Fireheart suggested, glancing up at the dark tabby warrior.

"It's perfect," her mate murmured.

Fireheart nodded and looked down at her daughter. "Welcome to the world, Stormkit," she whispered.

* * *

The next morning, Fireheart awoke to a tiny paw prodding her side. Blinking her eyes open, she glanced down to see Stormkit staring at her with wide eyes. She purred and gently licked the small molly atop her head.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Fireheart whispered.

"Good morning," Stormkit chirped happily.

Fireheart gazed at her daughter for a few moments. The little molly's eyes were blue, but she knew that all kits were born with blue eyes and that Stormkit's would probably change within a moon. Briefly, she wondered whether she would get Fireheart's green eyes or Tigerclaw's amber ones.

A few nests away, Bluefur slowly began to stir. Before Fireheart could say or do anything, Stormkit bounded over to the blue-gray queen and peered into her face. Bluefur opened her eyes slowly, letting out a yelp of surprise when she saw how close Stormkit was.

"Hello!" Stormkit meowed cheerfully.

"Stormkit! Apologize right now," Fireheart scolded. "I'm sorry about that, Bluefur. She's just curious."

"It's alright, Fireheart," Bluefur reassured her. She touched her nose gently to Stormkit's ear. "Hello, little one. I see you've opened your eyes."

"Of course!" Stormkit proclaimed, looking rather proud of herself.

Bluefur purred with amusement. "Well, I can see you're going to grow up to be quite the warrior, aren't you?"

Stormkit pointed with her tail towards Fireheart. "That's my mama," she meowed importantly, as though introducing someone deserving of high respect.

"Yes, it is," Bluefur meowed, her eyes gleaming.

"Where are your kits?" the little tortoiseshell asked, looking around to try to spot the unborn litter. "I don't see them. Are they playing hide and seek? Can I play too?"

"They won't be here for a bit. But soon," the blue-gray molly promised her. "And once they're born, you can play with them as much as you want."

Fireheart chuckled as her daughter's eyes lit up and she squealed with excitement. Even though several seasons had passed, she could still remember being just as excitable as a kit. It was clear that Stormkit was going to grow up to be an inquisitive cat–hardly a day old, and she was already hopping nests. She wondered what her warrior name would be, then brushed the thought aside. There would be plenty of time to think about that later. For now, she was content to just sit by and enjoy the next six moons she would have with her precious kit at her side.

* * *

**So I checked the results and Stormkit was the pretty clear winner. But don't worry, the others will make an appearance later in the story! After all, there needs to be a little one named Beekit. **

**Stormkit is quite the little troublemaker, lol. She takes after her mother. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	31. Family

Tigerclaw pushed his way into the nursery, carrying a small thrush in his jaws. On the opposite side of the den, he saw Fireheart lift her head at the sound of his pawsteps, blinking sleep from her eyes. Stormkit was still sleeping soundly at her mother's belly, her tiny flank rising and falling beside a yellow flower placed delicately between Fireheart's paws.

"Is that for me?" Fireheart asked. A few nests away, Bluefur peeked one eye open, perhaps roused by the sound of voices. Mistykit, Stonekit, and Mosskit, who had been born just days before, purred contentedly as they suckled away.

"It is," Tigerclaw meowed, placing the thrush down beside the flame-colored molly's paws, careful not to disturb the flower. "Sorry, I know it's a bit small, but this was the best I could find."

"That's okay. The bird is very welcome anyway," Fireheart purred. She nudged the flower with her nose. "Look at what our daughter gave me."

"It's beautiful," Tigerclaw murmured, giving his mate a gentle lick between her ears.

"She's a sweetheart, even if she is a troublemaker," Bluefur meowed from her own nest. "Do you know how many times she's woken me up at the crack of dawn to ask if she can play with my kits?"

Fireheart's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Well, I _did _promise you," she replied.

Bluefur rolled her eyes and chuckled. Tigerclaw looked back down at his daughter, still fast asleep. She was tiny, not that most kits her age were particularly large in general, but this was smaller than he had expected. But her orange and black fur shone like stars on a clear newleaf night, and her frame gave hint to the lean build she would have one day. Briefly, he wondered what she was dreaming about. For that matter, did kits even have dreams?

Suddenly, Stormkit gave a yawn, her tiny paws hitting against Fireheart's flank as she stretched them out in front of her. She blinked her eyes open sleepily, turning her head to look up at Tigerclaw. Her eyes were still blue, but the dark tabby thought he could see the smallest hint of green in them.

"Hi," Stormkit meowed loudly. Fireheart quickly hushed her, and the little tortoiseshell repeated again in a whisper, "Hi."

"Hello, Stormkit," Tigerclaw meowed gently, touching his nose to his daughter's ear. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yep!" Stormkit replied cheerfully. "Can I go play now? I want to explore the camp some more today!"

"That's up to your mother," he meowed, glancing over at Fireheart.

At that, Stormkit practically pounced on top of her mother, staring up at her with wide, pleading eyes. Tigerclaw chuckled, remembering when he used to make the same face at Leopardfoot whenever he wanted something. Of course, she always ended up caving eventually.

"Please?" the little molly begged.

Fireheart shook her head. "Not right now, sweetheart," she meowed. "It's still early, and I don't think the rest of the Clan will be too happy if you wake them up. Besides, weren't you going to play with Mistykit, Stonekit, and Mosskit today?"

Stormkit's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah!" she chirped. "Maybe when they wake up, we can all go exploring!"

Fireheart glanced over at Bluefur. "Do you mind...?"

"Not at all," the older queen reassured her. "I'm sure they'll be thrilled to play with Stormkit."

"Thanks, Bluefur," Fireheart meowed. Turning back to her daughter, she continued, "Alright, you can go exploring with them when they wake up. But you must wait for them, and when I say wait, I mean it."

"Okay," Stormkit agreed, nodding fervently. "I can wait. I'll be better at waiting than everyone else."

She got to her paws and padded over to sit a tail-length or so away from Bluefur and her kits, tucking her paws and tail in neatly, or at least as neatly as a half-moon-old kit could manage. Once she had gotten herself settled, she turned to look at Fireheart with a proud gleam in her eyes.

"See? Look at me," she meowed happily. "I'm waiting!"

Fireheart purred, her whiskers twitching with amusement. "Keep up the good work, Stormkit."

She turned to look up at Tigerclaw again and meowed, "Well, I think we have everything under control here. I don't want to keep you too long."

"You could never," Tigerclaw murmured.

The flame-pelted molly chuckled. "I know, but you'll probably be wanted on a border patrol soon. You can't afford to miss that. Besides, Thrushpelt will be here to visit Bluefur soon, and with your size, we won't have enough room to breathe if both of you are in here."

Tigerclaw glared at her playfully. "Are you trying to say something?"

"Why no, why would you ever think that?" Fireheart asked, a little too innocently. "Look, there might be other cats in the Clan who say you have massive paws that make you too clumsy for your own good and that you're too big to fit inside any of the dens, but I'm not one of those cats. I'm a nice cat."

"I see," the dark tabby purred teasingly. "Well, I'm glad to have someone as kind and thoughtful as you."

Bluefur rolled her eyes. "Oh, knock it off, both of you. Your flirting is grating on my nerves."

"Like you're one to talk, Bluefur," Fireheart scoffed, though her eyes were gleaming with laughter. "You and Thrushpelt are absolutely _disgusting_."

"Fireheart, my dear friend, I'm afraid you're very much mistaken. I would never act in such a way," the blue-gray queen meowed haughtily.

"Sure, Bluefur. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Oh, believe me, nothing helps me sleep at night. Not with that little monster whom you claim is your daughter."

"HEY!" Stormkit and Fireheart protested.

"I'm not a monster," the little kit meowed, pouting.

"Says the one with _three _kits," Fireheart pointed out. She glanced fondly at her daughter, and added, "And she's right, she's not a monster."

Stormkit's eyes lit up. "See? My mama is on my side."

Tigerclaw shook his head and left the three cats to banter amongst themselves. As he walked out of the nursery, he nearly bumped into Thrushpelt, who was bringing in a snow-covered mouse for Bluefur. He nodded briefly to the older warrior before continuing on his way, shivering slightly as the snow chilled his paws. Almost instinctively, he felt his eyes wandering over to the nearly-empty fresh-kill pile.

Leaf-bare had hit them hard and early that year, and the Clan was already short on food. To make matters worse, Larksong, Mumblefoot, and Weedwhisker had all passed away from colds. Tigerclaw was surprised that a simple cold had killed them, but he figured that because they were so old, it had been harder to fight off illnesses. In any case, he was more worried about Fireheart and Stormkit. If Fireheart died, there wouldn't be anyone left to feed Stormkit. She couldn't manage solid foods yet, and Bluefur was the only other queen in the nursery. There was no way she would be able to manage to feed another kit during a leaf-bare as bitter as this one. The possibility of losing his beloved mate and daughter caused his stomach to twist painfully.

_Don't think like that, _he scolded himself. _They're going to be just fine. _

Shaking his head, he turned away and headed for the gorse tunnel. He needed to do something to take his mind off the leaf-bare weather threatening his family, and hunting seemed like the best option. After all, it wasn't as though he could afford to take anything from the fresh-kill pile at the moment. There were cats weaker than himself who needed food more than he did and there wasn't nearly enough to go around. He would have to be sure to catch a few pieces of prey.

Unfortunately for him and everyone else, StarClan had a way of never sending luck when the Clans actually needed it.


	32. Mosskit and Swearing

It wasn't long before the effects of the unusually bitter leaf-bare began to take a toll on the Clan. Mousepaw and Runningpaw both contracted whitecough and were confined to the medicine den. More often than not, hunting patrols returned with nothing to show for their efforts. The Clan couldn't spare enough fresh-kill to eat every day, and everyone had lost weight. Even Lionheart and Whitestorm looked scrawny despite their thick coats.

Fireheart found it strange, therefore, that the outside world still looked so beautiful. The ground was covered in a blanket of snow that sparkled whenever the sunlight hit it. It was peaceful and quiet, the only sounds coming from the occasional gust of wind through the trees. Indeed, if it weren't for the fact that her Clan was suffering, she was quite certain that she would have loved the bitterly cold season.

As queens, Fireheart and Bluefur were entitled to more prey than the rest of the Clan. They needed to keep their strength up, after all, as they were eating for multiple cats instead of just themselves. Yet even with the extra fresh-kill, it wasn't enough to combat the shortage of food.

Fireheart was lucky. Since she was only nursing one kit, she still had enough milk to provide for her daughter. Unfortunately, Bluefur, with her three children, didn't have nearly enough milk to feed all of them. More often than not, Fireheart and Stormkit were woken up by the sound of the older molly's kits crying out in hunger. Fireheart offered Bluefur a share of her fresh-kill on more than one occasion, but it wasn't enough to make a difference.

"I don't know what to do, Fireheart," Bluefur murmured as they watched the four kits playing in the snow together. "No matter what, there's no way I'm going to have enough milk until the prey comes back, and who knows how long that will take? And Featherwhisker doesn't have enough borage in his stocks either. Mistykit and Stonekit have been managing fine, but Mosskit..."

Fireheart could definitely understand her friend's worry. Mosskit had always been the weakest of her litter, and her ribs were starting to show beneath her fluffy gray and white fur. Not that Mistykit and Stonekit were particularly well-fed either, but they at least had more fat to show for it.

_If Mosskit doesn't get more milk soon, she'll die. _

"What if I helped nurse her?" she offered.

Bluefur looked at her hesitantly. "Would you really be okay with that?" she asked. "You do realize that if you're nursing Mosskit as well, it means Stormkit won't be getting as much milk."

"I know," Fireheart admitted. "But Stormkit's still doing well even though we're short on food. Besides, let's face it. We both know that if you keep trying to nurse all of your kits, there's no way Mosskit is going to make it to newleaf. Look, you can already see her ribs starting to show and the season has barely started. I don't know how much of a difference it will make, but surely sharing milk with just one kit will do more to feed her than sharing milk with two kits."

The older warrior hesitated for another heartbeat, then pressed her nose to Fireheart's ear. "Thank you," she murmured, her eyes brimming with gratitude.

Fireheart purred briefly in reply, then turned to watch as Stormkit tumbled over to land at her paws. The little tortoiseshell looked up at her with wide, cheerful eyes, her pelt coated with snow. Gently, Fireheart leaned down to brush the snow off her daughter's fur.

"Hello," Stormkit meowed happily.

"Hello there, sweetheart," Fireheart replied, giving her kit a gentle lick between her ears.

"Can we go inside now? I'm hungry," the little molly whined, looking at her mother pleadingly.

"That sounds like a good idea," Bluefur agreed. "I'll call my kits in as well. I'm sure they're starting to get cold by now anyway."

Fireheart nodded and led Stormkit back inside the nursery as Bluefur rounded up her own children. Once they were inside, the two queens settled back into their nests. Stormkit immediately latched onto Fireheart's belly and began suckling as Mistykit and Stonekit did the same with Bluefur. Mosskit tried to join her siblings, but her mother gently pushed her towards Fireheart's nest.

"Bluefur?" Mosskit meowed, looking at the blue-gray molly in confusion.

"It's alright, Mosskit. Fireheart is going to be feeding you now," Bluefur meowed gently.

"But why?" the gray and white kit pleaded. "I want to stay with you!"

"I know, and I promise you'll still be sleeping in my nest," Bluefur soothed her daughter. "But Fireheart has more milk to spare than I do. She's going to feed you and then you can come back to my nest."

When Mosskit hesitated, she pressed on, "Don't you want to grow up to be a big, strong warrior?"

"I guess," Mosskit agreed, looking down at her paws.

"Don't worry, Mosskit," Fireheart spoke up, trying to comfort the saddened kit. "Your mother will be right there. She's not going anywhere."

Reluctantly, Mosskit nodded and padded over to settle herself at Fireheart's belly, casting one last mournful look at her mother over her shoulder. Fireheart felt a twinge of sympathy. She knew how hard it must have been for Mosskit not to have Bluefur and her littermates beside her, and she could only hope that the young kit would realize that there wasn't any other option. To her relief, however, as soon as she began suckling, Mosskit let out a purr of contentment.

"Looks like she's settled in," Bluefur purred.

"I'm glad," Fireheart replied. "I was starting to worry that she might refuse my milk."

"Kits can be stubborn, but they won't turn down food. Besides, Mosskit likes you," her former mentor meowed.

"Really?" Fireheart asked, looking down at the still-suckling kitten. "That's nice to know."

Later that afternoon, with a full belly for the first time in days, Mosskit padded back to Bluefur's nest and curled up in between Mistykit and Stonekit. Fireheart watched as she dozed off, her tiny flank rising and falling. The rest of the occupants in the nursery had fallen asleep, leaving Fireheart alone with her thoughts. Feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over her, the flame-pelted queen let out a yawn and allowed her eyelids to slid shut.

* * *

When Fireheart woke up the next morning, she found Stormkit pressing a flower in between her paws. Her daughter looked up at her happily, and she leaned over and brushed her nose against her cheek.

"Hi, Fireheart," Stormkit meowed. "Do you like the flower? Tigerclaw brought it to me so I could give it to you."

"I do. It's very pretty," Fireheart purred, licking her daughter's ears. "Thank you, sweetheart."

Stormkit gave a pleased mew and burrowed herself underneath her mother's chest fur. "Guess what? I learned how to say a bad word today too!" she meowed excitedly. "I heard Stormtail say it when Smallear woke him up. Want to hear me say it?"

"No, no, that's quite alright," Fireheart replied quickly. "I'll take your word for it."

"Bad word?" The flame-colored molly cursed silently as Mosskit's voice piped up from Bluefur's nest. "Are we allowed to say them now? I know one too!"

"No, no!" Fireheart exclaimed, keeping her voice low so as to not wake Bluefur, Mistykit, and Stonekit. "Nobody is going to say any bad words! Fox dung, I swear you two are even more of a pawful than–"

She clamped her jaws shut as she realized what she had just said. Stormkit and Mosskit stared at her with shocked expressions. Slowly, however, their faces morphed into identical looks of glee. Fireheart let out a groan, knowing it was too late to do anything now.

"Fox dung!" Stormkit meowed happily. "Fox dung! Fox dung!"

"Fox dung!" Mosskit echoed.

"Oh no," Fireheart groaned, dropping her head onto her paws. "Bluefur is going to kill me. Or she'll maim me. Or worse, she'll maim me _and _kill me! StarClan, if you could save me right about now..."

"What's going on here?"

_Well, looks like it's time to say my final prayers. _

Blinking sleep from her eyes, Bluefur looked around the nursery at Fireheart's pensive, guilty expression and Mosskit and Stormkit's proud, cheerful ones until–

"Fox dung!"


	33. A Father's Reunion

Tigerclaw scraped a small pile of snow over the mouse he had just caught, eyeing the small creature in disdain. It was scrawny, but he supposed it would have to suffice. He shook his head. Prey was hard to come by, and he knew he should have been more grateful to StarClan for allowing him to catch this mouse, but it was hard to be thankful for anything when he knew it wouldn't be nearly enough to feed his Clan.

_Although I'm sure RiverClan is nice and well-fed, _he thought scornfully as he continued along the Twolegplace border. _I don't think they've ever gone hungry once in their entire lives. _

The dark tabby let out a sigh. Of course, it wasn't RiverClan's fault that they had an abundance of prey from the river, but he couldn't help feeling bitter. They had more food than any other Clan in the forest, yet they were also the most greedy, always trying to take Sunningrocks even though they were poor land hunters and only ever used the rocks for sunbathing.

_At least the rocks belong to us right now, _Tigerclaw thought, trying to cheer himself up. _And I'm sure Sunstar plans to keep it that way for a long time. RiverClan should never have been given those rocks in the first place. _

"Tigerkit? Is that you?"

Tigerclaw stiffened at the voice, his fur prickling. It had been several seasons since he had last heard it, and time had clearly taken its toll, but it didn't matter. He would recognize his father's voice anywhere. Not only that, but there was only one cat he knew of that would still be calling him Tigerkit. Exhaling slowly, he turned his head to meet the eyes of the former ThunderClan leader.

"It is you," Pinestar meowed, eyeing his son. Was it just Tigerclaw's imagination, or did his father seem almost _wary _of him? "Although I suppose you must have earned your warrior name by now."

"I have. My name is Tigerclaw," he answered. Unable to keep a note of resentment out of his voice, he added, "It's good to see you, _Pinestar_–although I suppose you must have a different name by now."

If Pinestar was at all bothered by Tigerclaw's clear disdain, he didn't show it. Instead, he replied simply, "I do. I'm known as Pine now–that's the name I gave myself. My Twolegs probably have another name for me, but I haven't figured out everything about their language."

Tigerclaw just flicked his tail in acknowledgment. Part of him almost felt guilty; he knew he should have been happier to see his father alive and happy. The past was the past and it wasn't as if Pine's abandonment had ruined his life. But he just couldn't forget the way his father had so easily chosen the life of a kittypet over his Clan–over _him_. There were some things that could never be forgiven, and this was one of them.

He was about to leave when he remembered why he had chosen to hunt near Fireheart's old home in the first place. Gritting his teeth, he turned around to speak to Pine again, who looked at him in bewilderment.

"Do you mind," he meowed, exhaling slowly before continuing, "do you mind gathering a flower for me from your garden?"

"Why?" Pine asked, obviously confused.

"It's for Fireheart," Tigerclaw replied.

"Who's Fireheart?" Pine inquired curiously.

"She's my mate," he answered shortly, wincing internally at how callous he sounded. Fireheart was more than just _his mate_–but he wasn't about to dive into every detail of his personal life with his traitor of a father. If he wanted to know more about him, he should have stayed in ThunderClan. "I mean, I could always get her one from our territory, but the only ones I've been able to find are the same yellow ones, and I wanted to give her something different today."

"I see," the reddish-brown tom meowed, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Very well, then. I'll be right back."

Tigerclaw nodded and waited as his father jumped back onto his side of the fence, his paws crunching in the snow as he headed in what Tigerclaw presumed was the direction of his home. When he returned, he was carrying a beautiful purple flower in his jaws. He placed the flower at Tigerclaw's paws, who picked it up gingerly.

"Thanks," the dark tabby meowed.

"You're welcome," Pine answered. As Tigerclaw turned to leave, he added, "Be careful, Tigerclaw. I don't know who this Fireheart is, but if you're coming to Twolegplace to pick flowers for her, she must be special. Don't lose her."

Tigerclaw glanced over his shoulder one last time. "Don't worry," he replied. "I won't."

* * *

Long after Tigerclaw had already disappeared, Pine remained seated on the fence, staring out at what used to be his territory. It was bitterly cold out, yet the reddish-brown tom hardly felt it. Seasons of being fattened up on kittypet food had done wonders–the leaf-bare chill never seemed to bother him anymore. Briefly, he wondered how his old Clanmates were faring. Leaf-bare was already a difficult season, but there was something about this one that seemed especially harsh and unforgiving.

Contrary to what most probably believed, there were times that Pine missed his life in the forest. Indeed, he hadn't wanted to leave in the first place–he simply didn't have a choice. What was he supposed to do when StarClan kept urging him to murder his son? He couldn't disobey his warrior ancestors and he couldn't ignore the visions they were sending him of his son's future, but he also couldn't murder a _kit_. Besides, what would Leopardfoot think if he told her that they had to kill their only surviving child because StarClan had told Pine that he was destined to destroy the Clans? She would never have believed him and ThunderClan probably would have chased him out of the territory for being utterly out of his mind.

Yet talking to Tigerclaw today, Pine found it hard to believe that he would even think of doing anything to harm ThunderClan. His son's only concern seemed to be providing for his Clan and bringing his mate gifts to make her happy. Maybe StarClan's warnings had been wrong. Surely a cat who cared so deeply for his Clan wouldn't want to hurt anyone.

_Did I leave for nothing? _

Not that it mattered anymore if he had, Pine realized. He couldn't very well go back now. ThunderClan would never accept him back–as well they shouldn't. He was too old and out of shape to be able to hunt or fight anymore; if he went back, he would be regulated to spending his days in the elders' den. The Clan wouldn't take in someone who couldn't do anything to provide for them anymore, especially not in the dead of leaf-bare.

Shaking off his thoughts, Pine jumped off the fence and headed back over to his Twoleg's nest. It was too late for regrets now. He had made his choice, and now he had to live with it until it was his time to join StarClan–that is if he would even be accepted into their ranks after his betrayal.

* * *

When Tigerclaw was in a bad mood, there was usually only one thing–well, one cat–that could cheer him up. No matter what, Fireheart always seemed to know exactly what to say to make him feel better. It was an amazing trick of hers, really. He would have to ask her how she did it sometime.

That said, coming home and seeing Bluefur chase Fireheart around the camp while Stormkit, Mosskit, Mistykit, and Stonekit shouted various swear words at the top of their tiny lungs got the job done as well.


	34. The New Deputy

Fireheart awoke to the feeling of a paw prodding into her side. Yawning, she blinked sleep from her eyes and looked up at Bluefur, who was standing over her nest.

"Wake up," her friend whispered. "Sunstar just called a meeting."

"Alright," Fireheart meowed, still struggling to wake up. "I'll be there."

Careful not to disturb Stormkit, who was still dozing peacefully, she climbed out of her nest and followed Bluefur into the clearing. Scanning the cats seated beneath the Highrock, she spotted Tigerclaw sitting near the center of the group with Whitestorm and Rosetail. The three cats waved her over and Fireheart walked over to join them, taking a seat beside her mate.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Tawnyspots is retiring," Tigerclaw told her.

Fireheart nodded, not particularly surprised by the news. It was no secret to the Clan that Tawnyspots' health had been declining for at least a few seasons now. Even Featherwhisker's best efforts could do nothing to ease his pain. She was amazed that he had even lasted as long as he had.

_I wonder who the new deputy will be, _the flame-colored molly thought, glancing around at the warriors surrounding her. Privately, she thought that if Sunstar had any common sense, he would choose Bluefur for the position. Of course, she was biased, but nobody could deny that the blue-gray warrior deserved it. She was fierce in battle but still kind and compassionate when the situation called for it.

"Cats of ThunderClan, today is a day of great sorrow but also of great hope for our Clan's future," Sunstar began. "Tawnyspots, is it your wish to give up the title of a warrior and retire to the elders' den?"

Fireheart craned her neck and saw Tawnyspots nod briefly at the foot of the Highrock. A twinge of sympathy stabbed at her belly as she saw pain flash in his eyes. She couldn't imagine being in so much agony that even _speaking _was impossible.

"Tawnyspots! Tawnyspots!" The Clan began cheering the light gray elder's name. Rosetail's voice rang out above the rest as she cheered for her former mentor.

"Now, I can turn to a happier duty," Sunstar meowed as soon as the cheers died down. "First of all, let me say that choosing a new deputy wasn't an easy decision at all. There are many cats in ThunderClan who possess the skills necessary to succeed Tawnyspots and, when the time comes, take on the position of ThunderClan's leader. However, one candidate stood out above the rest. This warrior has suffered greatly but remains dedicated solely to the well-being of her Clanmates. No matter what, I know that I can rely on her to give her best, whether it's in hunting, fighting, or training our apprentices."

He paused for another moment, surveying the cats below him, and Fireheart found herself holding her breath. The cat her leader was describing certainly _sounded _like Bluefur–after all, losing her mother, sister, and friend as well as her mate (although nobody else knew that) was the epitome of suffering–but she couldn't be too sure yet. After all, her other Clanmates had suffered losses as well, and everyone could be counted on to give their best efforts in contributing to the Clan. That was the whole _point _of being a warrior.

"Bluefur, you will be the new deputy of ThunderClan," the ThunderClan leader meowed finally. "May StarClan guide your paws, and when the time comes for you to replace me at the head of our Clan, I pray that you will lead with as much wisdom and strength as I know you are capable of."

"Bluefur! Bluefur!" Fireheart could barely contain her glee as she cheered her friend and former mentor's name.

"Bluefur!" Whitestorm's voice sang with pride.

Bluefur's eyes were shining with pleasure and surprise as she rose to her paws. As the cheers began to die down, she turned to Sunstar and dipped her head respectfully.

"I am honored, Sunstar," she meowed. "I swear to StarClan that I will give every breath in my body to serve you and ThunderClan."

A murmur of approval sounded throughout the clearing as the cats began to crowd around Bluefur to congratulate her. Fireheart gave the blue-furred warrior a friendly lick on the shoulder, purring with delight. Whitestorm, Tigerclaw, and Rosetail padded over to join them, their eyes gleaming with happiness for their friend.

"Congratulations!" Fireheart purred.

"Thank you, Fireheart," Bluefur meowed, touching her nose to her ear. She stepped back, her eyes glimmering with amusement. "Now, don't go teaching my kits any more curse words or I might have to make you clean the elders' den."

"Oh come on, you know what they say. Knowing curse words builds character," Fireheart joked.

Bluefur tipped her head to the side. "Who said that?"

"You know," the flame-colored queen replied, waving her tail. "Sunstar, me, the elders, the last omen from StarClan that Featherwhisker received..."

"Is that so?" the newly named deputy asked, her eyes gleaming. "I must have missed the "Teaching kits how to swear builds their character," omen."

"Actually, I think it was more like, "The foulest curses from a rash and impressionable youth forge strength great enough to shake the earth."

Bluefur shook her head. "Maybe _you _should have been named Clan deputy, Fireheart. You would give a good speech."

"Maybe I can be your deputy when the time comes," Fireheart replied jokingly. "Just as long as I'm allowed to incorporate a bit of kittypet language into my speeches. That way I can make fun of the other Clans and they won't have any idea what I'm saying."

Her former mentor rolled her eyes playfully and Fireheart stepped back to allow Whitestorm to speak to his aunt. She turned around and headed back to the nursery, calling one last farewell to her friends over her shoulder. As she drew closer to the nursery, she chuckled to herself when she saw Stormkit, Mistykit, Stonekit, and Mosskit all seated outside, their eyes wide with excitement.

"Fireheart, isn't that so cool? Bluefur gets to be the new deputy!" Mistykit meowed gleefully.

"Yes, I know. It's wonderful," Fireheart purred, touching the young kit's shoulder gently with her tail in greeting.

Stormkit burrowed herself underneath her mother's chest fur. "When I become a warrior, _I _want to be Clan deputy too," she insisted. "And then I'll become Clan leader and make Mosskit my deputy."

"What about us?" Mistykit asked, gesturing towards herself and Stonekit.

The tortoiseshell kit paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. You can _all _be my deputies."

Bluefur and Tigerclaw padded over to join them, and Stormkit immediately bounded up to the blue-gray queen. "Bluefur, when you become our leader, will you make me your deputy?" she asked.

"She's already got her entire life planned out," Fireheart told her, chuckling. "According to her, she's going to become Clan leader and all three of your kits are going to be her deputies."

"I see," Bluefur replied, laughing. She gave Stormkit a gentle lick between her ears. "Well, I don't know when or if I'll become ThunderClan's leader, but we'll see what happens. If you're well-behaved and always listen to your mother, there's a very good chance."

"Yay!" Stormkit meowed happily, chasing her tail in excitement. A moment later, Mosskit pounced on her and the two kits began play-fighting, squealing with joy as they kicked up snow.

As she watched her daughter playing happily with Mosskit, Fireheart couldn't help wondering what the ceremony would have been like if Thistleclaw had been there to witness it. Bluefur had told her when she was still an apprentice that the gray and white warrior had wanted the deputy's position for a long time. She felt a shudder pass through her body as she imagined the fury he would have felt at not being chosen. Not for the first time, she found herself thanking StarClan that he was dead.

"Fireheart, look at me!" Stormkit's gleeful call snapped her out of her thoughts. Glancing up, she saw that her daughter had pinned Mosskit down in the snow.

"Very good," she purred. "But be gentle, Stormkit. You're bigger than Mosskit; you don't want to hurt her on accident."

"Oh, sorry," Stormkit apologized, quickly climbing off the younger kit. Once Mosskit had gotten up and shaken the snow out of her fur, she meowed, "Come on, Mosskit! Let's battle Tigerclaw next. I'll bet he can't take on both of us!"

Tigerclaw's eyes widened with exaggerated fear. "Fireheart! Come quick! I'm being attacked by two powerful warriors!"

"Won't work!" Stormkit meowed triumphantly, leaping onto her father's back and clinging to him with her tiny claws. "She's on our side, right Fireheart?"

"That's right," Fireheart purred.

"Betrayal! Such vicious betrayal!" Tigerclaw exclaimed in an overly dramatic voice. "Mark my words, Fireheart. I will emerge victorious from this battle, hard-fought though it may be, and I will take vengeance for the wrongs you have committed upon my helpless soul."

"I mean, if you're so helpless, I think I'll be okay."

"You cannot run from your fate, Fireheart."

"Perhaps not, Tigerclaw, but we all know you can't take me."

"Is that a challenge I hear?"

"It's a fact."

Tigerclaw pretended to sigh and looked hopefully at Bluefur. "What about you? Will you aid me in my mission to seek justice?"

"Sorry, Tigerclaw," Bluefur replied, her eyes gleaming with laughter. "But I've got to take Fireheart's side on this one. She is my new little sister, after all."

"Isn't anyone on my side?"

"No, Tigerclaw, no they are not."

"Have no fear, young warrior," Fireheart meowed in a deep, exaggeratedly mysterious voice that elicited a giggle from Stormkit. "I am a warrior of StarClan and I am here to deliver a message to you. Lonely though your path may be, your valiant efforts shall be rewarded and you will triumph in all your endeavors."

"Thank you, wise and noble ancestor of mine," Tigerclaw replied, bowing his head to her. "I shall not falter in my quest."

"Oh, wait." Fireheart pretended to be suddenly puzzled. "My mistake. That message was actually meant for Crookedstar."

Of course, she knew that Clan cats were strong, but Fireheart was quite amazed that all of her friends and family managed to avoid injuring their stomachs from laughter.

* * *

**Bluefur is the new deputy! We're finally at the part of _Bluestar's Prophecy _that I was looking forward to changing the most. Honestly, the rule about deputies not being allowed to have kits is utter bullshit. If you think about it, the deputy only really has to organize patrols and speak to the leader once in a while–nothing that having children would be too much of a problem to work around. **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**wildtrance: SkyClan probably won't be a thing purely because I have no need for them. In canon, until the _A Vision of Shadows _arc, they aren't really relevant in any of the main series books. The only times they're ever mentioned before that are in books specifically centered around SkyClan, such as _Firestar's Quest_, and I don't plan for this story to reach the time of _Firestar's Quest, _much less all the way into the AVoS arc. **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Tigerclaw would give her the forest if he could, but since he can't, he settles for bringing her small gifts. **

**KrazyKube: Don't worry, lol! The kits are all staying in ThunderClan. As far as they know, they're pure ThunderClan cats with ThunderClan parents and there's no reason to change that. **

**Emeraldshard: Slight spoiler alert, but no, Tigerclaw will not be evil. **

**Riley-Cooper123: You hit the nail right on the head, actually. When StarClan sent Pinestar the warning about Tigerclaw, they didn't anticipate Fireheart joining ThunderClan. And even after she joined, Tigerclaw was still destined to destroy the Clans at first. It wasn't until he started developing feelings for her and finally made a conscious choice to disown Thistleclaw's ruthless training in favor of becoming a better cat so Fireheart would at least be willing to call him a friend even if she never returned his feelings that he was able to change his fate. **

**So...I guess you could say that fire did save the Clan in a way. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	35. Play Dead

"Mosspaw, come on. We're going to do some battle training today," Fireheart called out to her apprentice, beckoning her over to the gorse tunnel.

The small gray and white molly nodded and bounded across the camp, shouting a quick farewell to her denmates over her shoulder. Once she had caught up, Fireheart turned and led the way out of the camp. She padded through the forest with Mosspaw at her side, taking time to enjoy the scents and sounds of the recently arrived newleaf season. Leaf-bare had been long and hard, but the Clan had made it through, and now the prey was finally starting to return to the forest.

"What are we learning today?" Mosspaw asked, practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "Can I try the duck and twist? Mistypaw said that Rosetail taught her how to do that move yesterday."

"Actually, I had a different move planned for our session today," Fireheart replied. "But if we have time towards the end, maybe we can squeeze in the duck and twist."

Mosspaw's eyes lit up. "Great!" she meowed happily.

When they arrived at the sandy hollow, Fireheart instructed her apprentice to stand a few tail-lengths in front of her. The young molly did so immediately, staring at her with wide eyes full of anticipation as she waited to find out what her mentor had planned for their battle session that day.

"Alright," she began once Mosspaw was ready. "First, I want to demonstrate the move for you. Attack me."

Mosspaw nodded and crouched down, narrowing her eyes at Fireheart. The flame-colored warrior mirrored her crouch, hissing. She reached out with her right forepaw, swiping at Mosspaw, who ducked out of the way. Yowling a challenge, Mosspaw launched herself at Fireheart, catching her by the shoulders and knocking her onto her back. Fireheart hit the ground with a thud with Mosspaw still clinging to her.

_Here it comes,_ she thought to herself.

As soon as she hit the ground, Fireheart allowed herself to go limp under Mosspaw's grasp as though she had been defeated. Mosspaw gave a triumphant yowl but was cut off as Fireheart suddenly reared up and flung her over her shoulder. The gray and white molly let out a yelp of shock as she was thrown off, flying halfway across the hollow and finally landing with a thud. Dusting herself off, Fireheart walked over to her apprentice, who was getting up slowly with a dazed look in her eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently, worried that she might have accidentally hurt Mosspaw.

To her relief, Mosspaw nodded and quickly shook herself off. "I'm fine," she reassured Fireheart. "What move was that?"

"That move was called playing dead. It's a trick you can use to catch your enemies off guard," Fireheart told her. "When you're in a tight spot in a battle, go limp and pretend that your enemy has beaten you. Once they think they've won, you're free to counterstrike while they're still unprepared."

"That's so cool!" Mosspaw exclaimed, staring at her in admiration. "I bet you could win a lot of battles with that move."

"Well, playing dead _is _a good way to get the upper hand, but you still need to master the other battle moves," Fireheart warned her apprentice. "You can't go into a fight knowing only one or two moves. If you do that, your enemies will have no problem beating you."

"Don't worry, I know," the gray and white apprentice meowed, nodding. "Can I try the move now?"

"Of course," Fireheart replied kindly. She took a few paces back and crouched down. "Ready...now!"

By the time they finished their training session, it was nearly sunset. Mosspaw walked beside Fireheart as they made their way back to the camp, considerably exhausted but still just as cheerful as ever. Fireheart chuckled silently to herself as she looked at the proud gleam in her apprentice's eyes. Even though she had been a warrior for several seasons now, seeing the younger cat's excitement over everything she learned never failed to remind the flame-colored molly of her own apprentice days. It was one of the reasons she enjoyed being a mentor so much.

When they arrived back at the camp, Fireheart was greeted by Stormpaw racing over to her. She let out a yowl of surprise as her daughter pounced on her, pinning her down in the middle of the clearing. Mosspaw laughed and joined in as well, sitting down on top of Fireheart so that she couldn't move.

"Got you!" Stormpaw meowed triumphantly.

"You can't take us!" Mosspaw added.

Bluefur walked over to them, a gleam of amusement in her blue gaze. "Seems like you've gotten yourself into a bit of a situation there, Fireheart."

"So it seems I have," Fireheart replied, shaking her head. She tried to push Stormpaw and Mosspaw off of her but was unsuccessful. "Alright you two, time to get off. I can't breathe with both of you sitting on top of me."

The two apprentices climbed off of her and she got to her paws, shaking herself off. Mosspaw walked over to her mother and gently bumped her head against Bluefur's shoulder, purring happily. Bluefur licked her forehead gently, draping her tail over Mosspaw's back.

"How was training today?" the blue-furred warrior asked.

"Great!" Mosspaw told her mother excitedly. "Fireheart's so cool! She taught me how to play dead today."

"Very good," Bluefur purred.

Not to be outdone, Stormpaw piped up, "Dappletail taught me how to hunt squirrels today. I even managed to catch one too. It's over there in the fresh-kill pile."

"That's wonderful, sweetheart," Fireheart praised her daughter. Stormpaw purred, brushing her cheek against her flank.

"Tigerclaw says I'm going to be as brilliant a hunter as you are," the tortoiseshell apprentice told her. "Do you think he's right? Do you think I can be as good as you someday?"

Fireheart brushed her nose against Stormpaw's ear. "I'm sure you'll be even _better _than me someday."

"No way!" Stormpaw insisted, shaking her head fervently. "There's no way I'll ever be better than you. You're the best at _everything_. You and Tigerclaw."

"Well, thank you, Stormpaw," Fireheart chuckled.

"Come on, Stormpaw, let's go!" Mosspaw called, racing over to the apprentices' den. "I want to show Mistypaw and Stonepaw the new battle move Fireheart taught me today."

"Coming!" Stormpaw called back, taking off after her friend.

Fireheart watched her daughter go, then shook her head and turned to Bluefur again. "Well, now that they're busy, is there anything you needed?"

"Actually, yes. I want you to come on a border patrol with me," Bluefur requested. "The patrols have been reporting finding ShadowClan scent on our territory and I want to check it out."

"Sure, alright," Fireheart agreed with a nod. "Let's go, then."

She followed her friend out of the camp, nodding to Adderfang and Goldenflower as they passed by with their jaws full of prey. The two warriors gave her a muffled greeting in reply before pushing their way through the gorse tunnel. Fireheart felt encouraged by the sight of the fresh-kill in her Clanmates' jaws; it was a clear sign that the moons of hunger were coming to an end at last.

As Fireheart followed Bluefur through the forest, she suddenly realized that this was the first time they had patrolled together in at least a moon. The blue-gray warrior had been considerably busy with her deputy duties, especially after Sunstar fell ill and lost one of his lives to greencough. She didn't blame her friend, of course–after all, she was quite busy herself–but she had missed spending time together as friends.

"So..." Bluefur meowed slowly, dropping back slightly to walk beside Fireheart. "How's everything been going lately? It's been a while since I got a chance to talk to you."

Fireheart flicked her tail. "Fine, I suppose," she replied nonchalantly.

"It looks like you've been doing well with Mosspaw," her friend meowed warmly. "I'm glad Sunstar chose you to be her mentor."

"Yeah, thanks," Fireheart murmured. She paused for a moment, then asked, "So, how's being the deputy treating you?"

Bluefur twitched her ears. "It's not bad," she meowed, bounding over a fallen tree. "Definitely a lot of work, but it's an honor to serve my Clan."

Fireheart nodded in understanding. Privately, however, she couldn't help thinking that she didn't envy Bluefur's position at all. She knew that being named to the position of Clan deputy was a great honor, but she didn't think she would ever want that much responsibility for herself. It was enough work being responsible for her own duties, never mind keeping the rest of the Clan in line. Besides, she was too young and inexperienced to become the deputy anyway.

"You know, you would make a good deputy," Bluefur meowed as if she had read Fireheart's thoughts.

"Me?" Fireheart scoffed. "No way. I'm not the kind of cat you would want as a deputy; I don't like the idea of having so many responsibilities and I'm not the leadership type. I'm happier just being a regular warrior."

"You mean you've _never _wondered what it's like to be Clan leader or deputy?" Bluefur asked, looking at her quizzically.

"I mean, sure, I've wondered," she replied indifferently. "But I know it's not the right path for me. I like mentoring apprentices and I enjoy hunting and a good battle every once in a while, and that's all I need. Being deputy...and having so many cats rely on me to keep them organized...no, I couldn't do it. I'm better off following instead of leading."

Bluefur flicked her ears affectionately. "Well, you do a fine job as a regular warrior as well."

"I know," Fireheart meowed cheerfully.

"You are a bit strange, though," Bluefur added, almost as an afterthought.

"Hey!" she protested. "Don't call me strange!"

"And you're bossy too," the blue-furred queen meowed.

"What was that?!"

"Nothing, my dear Fireheart, nothing at all."


	36. Storms and Kits

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

Tigerclaw paused in the middle of his meal with Fireheart as the call from his Clan leader sounded from the top of the Highrock. He glanced around the camp in confusion for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on when he spotted Stormpaw standing proudly next to Dappletail. A spark of joy flared up in his chest as he finally realized what was happening. His daughter had passed her final assessment and would be joining him and her mother in the warriors' den. Judging by the pride glowing in Fireheart's eyes, the flame-colored molly knew what was about to happen as well.

"Come on, let's go," she meowed eagerly. "I want to see our daughter receive her warrior name."

"Of course," Tigerclaw purred.

He followed Fireheart as his mate walked over to sit in the front of the clearing next to Bluefur and Rosetail. A few tail-lengths away, Mosspaw, Mistypaw, and Stonepaw were looking at Stormpaw with awe in their eyes. It was obvious that they were happy for their denmate. Tigerclaw noticed, however, that Mosspaw's eyes held the smallest bit of sadness in them. He felt a twinge of sympathy. The two cats had spent nearly their entire lives together and they had become close. It must have been hard for Mosspaw to know that she would be without her best friend for at least another half a moon.

Bluefur apparently noticed as well, for she padded over to her daughter and murmured gently, "Don't worry, you'll be a warrior soon enough and then you'll get to share a den with Stormpaw again."

"Cats of ThunderClan, today is a day that marks a bright future for one of our apprentices," Sunstar began. "Stormpaw has successfully completed her training and will ascend to the rank of a warrior of ThunderClan."

Tigerclaw's heart swelled with pride at the joyous expression in the tortoiseshell molly's eyes. She gazed up at Sunstar with rapt attention, her legs trembling so much from the excitement that he was amazed she didn't topple over. Beside him, Fireheart purred softly, gazing at their only kit with all the motherly pride and love she had ever shown her.

"Stormpaw," Sunstar continued, looking down to meet the apprentice's eyes. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Stormpaw meowed firmly. No one could doubt her conviction.

"Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Stormpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Stormflare. StarClan honors your enthusiasm and your kindness and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

He leaped down from the Highrock and touched his muzzle to Stormflare's head. Stormflare licked his shoulder respectfully and stepped back, her head held high with delight.

"Stormflare! Stormflare!" Tigerclaw and Fireheart began cheering for their daughter.

"Stormflare!" Bluefur, Mosspaw, Mistypaw, and Stonepaw quickly took up the call.

As the rest of the Clan continued cheering Stormflare's new name, Tigerclaw approached the tortoiseshell warrior and touched his nose to her cheek. Stormflare purred happily and nudged her head against his shoulder, her green eyes glowing. Fireheart padded up beside them and licked her shoulder affectionately.

"Congratulations," she murmured. "We're so proud of you."

"Thanks, Fireheart," Stormflare meowed happily.

"Remember, you'll be sitting vigil tonight," Tigerclaw reminded her. "Keep silent until dawn unless there's an emergency. Then and only then are you allowed to speak in order to wake up the Clan."

"I know, Tigerclaw," Stormflare replied, nodding fervently. "I won't forget, I promise."

At that moment, Mosspaw, Mistypaw, and Stonepaw came racing over to Stormflare and practically pounced on their former denmate. She let out a yelp as they crashed into her, nearly knocking her off her paws. Laughing, she caught herself and allowed her friends to congratulate her.

"Congratulations, Stormflare!" Mosspaw meowed excitedly.

"Sunstar gave you the coolest name _ever_," Mistypaw added, her eyes wide. She looked at Bluefur. "Do you think Sunstar will give me a name like that when I become a warrior?"

"I'm sure he'll give you a perfectly nice name," Bluefur replied.

As the Clan began to disperse, Tigerclaw walked back over to the clump of ferns where the warriors shared their meals. Fireheart and Stormflare were already waiting for him with two mice and a rabbit to share between them. He sat down next to the flame-colored warrior and took a bite out of one of the mice, feeling her flick her tail against his ears warmly.

"Is it just me, or does fresh-kill taste even better when you share it with warriors?" Stormflare asked.

"Well, you wouldn't be the first cat to feel that way," Fireheart meowed.

When they had finished their meal, Bluefur padded over to join them. Tigerclaw glanced up at the deputy, waiting to hear what she needed from them.

"Tigerclaw, Fireheart," she greeted them. "When Stormflare gets ready for her vigil, I want you two to take the twilight patrol to Fourtrees. Whitestorm and Redtail reported yesterday that they caught some stale rogue or loner scent on our territory near that area and I need you two to check it out. I don't expect they're too much of a threat, but I'd rather we deal with them now."

"Of course," Fireheart meowed, dipping her head. "We'll sort it out if there's any trouble."

Bluefur nodded and padded over to the other side of the camp to speak to Sunstar. Out of the corner of his eye, Tigerclaw noticed that Fireheart had a strange, slightly tense expression on her face. Puzzled, he nudged her shoulder gently, turning her attention onto him.

"Is everything alright?" he asked in concern.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Fireheart meowed quickly. She shook her head. "I was just wondering if maybe, perhaps, the loners Whitestorm and Redtail scented at Fourtrees could be...you know..._them_?"

Tigerclaw understood immediately. Several seasons had passed since Fireheart had last seen her littermates that day by the Twolegplace border and there hadn't been any sign of them since. She had never been particularly bothered by this, always maintaining her belief that Socks and Ruby would be picked up by a sympathetic Twoleg eventually, but Tigerclaw knew that she didn't like the idea of another surprise encounter with them.

"Who are you talking about?" Stormflare asked curiously. Fireheart had never talked about her brother and sister with her before.

"Nobody important, sweetheart. Just my littermates," Fireheart meowed dismissively.

"Your littermates?" the tortoiseshell warrior repeated, her eyes wide. "I didn't know you had siblings. Can I meet them?"

"You don't want to meet them, Stormflare. They don't like Clan cats and they're not exactly pleasant to be around," Fireheart told her. "Besides, I don't know where they are right now. The last time I saw them, they were living as loners. For all we know, they could be anywhere in the world right now."

"Oh, okay," Stormflare agreed with a nod. Clearly, she wasn't too upset about not getting to meet her mother's littermates.

Later that evening, Stormflare settled down in the middle of the camp for her vigil as Tigerclaw and Fireheart left for their patrol. Fireheart suggested bringing along Whitestorm since he had been one of the cats to scent the rogues. Tigerclaw saw the sense in her thinking, so he invited the white warrior to accompany them. Once everyone was ready, the three warriors departed the camp and headed off in the direction of Fourtrees.

"So where did you find the scent?" Fireheart asked once they were nearly at Fourtrees, glancing over at Whitestorm.

"Just on our side of the border," Whitestorm answered. "Near the stream that we cross to get to the Gathering."

Fireheart nodded and Tigerclaw followed her as she turned towards the stream. As they continued along their path, a strange scent filled his nostrils. The scent was that of a rogue or a loner and from what he could tell, there were at least two of them present, both of them mollies. It was strong and fresh, meaning they had to be close by. However, Tigerclaw was puzzled to note that although the rogue or loner was clearly still present, he couldn't see any sign of her anywhere.

"Do you see anything?" Whitestorm asked.

"Not yet," Tigerclaw meowed, still trying to spot where the rogues were.

"That's weird," the white tom commented. "The scent is still fresh and it's strongest right around here, so they have to be here somewhere."

Suddenly, Fireheart pricked her ears. "Wait. Do you hear that?" she whispered.

Tigerclaw strained his ears, trying to pick up on what the flame-colored warrior had heard. A few heartbeats later, he heard it. Coming from somewhere in the bushes was the sound of a kitten mewling in distress.

"It's coming from over there," he meowed, pointing to the left with his tail.

Without hesitating, Fireheart bounded over in the direction he had pointed in and started sifting through a thick bush. Not even a heartbeat later, she let out an exclamation of shock and stumbled back. Tigerclaw watched as the flame-pelted molly's eyes widened in disbelief, feeling a stab of worry. Without waiting for her to speak, he raced over to her side and peered down into the parted foliage. The sight that greeted him sent a jolt through his chest so powerful he was amazed he didn't fall over.

Curled up just under the bush, mewling and crying out in hunger, were two ginger tabby kits.

* * *

**Fireheart and Tigerclaw are about to adopt two more kits. Yay for babies! And Stormflare is now a warrior, so double yay! **

**Speaking of kits, there's one topic I need to address. Due to some plot changes I've made to the story, I won't be able to use all of the kit names I had planned for Fireheart and Tigerclaw's children since there just won't be enough time. And besides...I really don't want to have too many nursery arcs. **

**Therefore, I'll be using Petalkit and Beekit for the two rogue kits and she and Tigerclaw will have one more litter with two kits. The options for names for their second litter are as follows. **

**1\. Flykit**

**2\. Scorchkit**

**3\. Daisykit**

**4\. Briarkit **

**The two names that receive the most votes will be the ones that get chosen. There will be one molly and one tom in the litter. Someone in the reviews for the last name vote mentioned that they prefer to choose names based on appearance, so the molly will be a solid black kit and the tom's ears will be too big for his head and his head will be too big for his body, so he will think he's a chihuahua. **

**Just kidding, he's going to be a Quince clone. **

**(Also, please tell me that someone got that reference.) **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**KrazyKube and Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Since I'm responding to the same part in your reviews, I'm writing one reply for both of you. You're right, Fireheart will not become ThunderClan's deputy or leader in this fanfic since pretty much every single AU out there aside from medicine cat Fire fanfics have him becoming leader eventually. Besides, in canon, he never actually WANTED to be a leader or deputy and instead had the position dumped on him like the worst surprise gift ever. So in this universe, Fireheart gets to happily serve her Clan as a regular warrior instead of being forced into a leadership position at a ridiculously young age. **

**On another note, since there's no "Fire will save the Clan" prophecy (actually, there aren't _really _any prophecies aside from the one Goosefeather received that resulted in Moonflower's death but that took place well before the events of the story), while Tiny/Scourge will eventually make an appearance, he will not be joining ThunderClan. I really don't like prophecies since they're poorly written at best and I just find it easier to work without them. **

**tristanwaltz1: Yes, they'll both be in the story :). **

**wildtrance: I'm glad you enjoyed it! They're still very much attached to their parents even though they've left the nursery. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	37. Adopted Children

Fireheart was the first to recover. Spinning around, she meowed to Whitestorm, "Run back to the camp and tell Sunstar and Featherwhisker that we've found two lost kits on our territory. Tigerclaw and I will carry them back."

Whitestorm nodded and raced back in the direction of the camp. As soon as he had left, Fireheart picked up one of the kits, holding her carefully in her jaws so as not to accidentally pierce her skin. She waited for Tigerclaw to pick up the other kit–Fireheart assumed they were sisters since they carried similar scents–before turning around and pelting after Whitestorm.

_Don't worry, we'll make sure you're both safe, _she silently promised the bundle of fur dangling from her jaws. _We won't let you die of hunger in the middle of the forest. _

As her paws pounded against the forest floor, Fireheart felt a surge of anger towards the kits' mother. She couldn't believe that a queen would abandon her children to starve in the middle of the forest. Perhaps she couldn't take care of them herself for some reason, but that hardly excused her actions in Fireheart's eyes. Kits didn't deserve to die just because their parents were selfish and only ever thought about their own wants and needs. If she had been unable to take care of Stormflare, she would never have even _thought _about abandoning them.

When they arrived back home, Sunstar and Featherwhisker were already waiting for them. Fireheart felt a pang of nervousness when she saw her Clan leader. What if he told them that they couldn't keep the kits? She searched the bright ginger tom's eyes for any sign of disapproval but found nothing more than sympathy and compassion.

"Fireheart, Tigerclaw," Sunstar greeted them. "Whitestorm tells me that you three found these kits near Fourtrees. Is that correct?"

"Yes, Sunstar," Fireheart replied, dipping her head respectfully.

"And did you find any sign of their mother?" the ThunderClan leader asked.

Fireheart shook her head. "When we arrived at Fourtrees, we only found two scents–both belonging to these kits. I did notice that there was another rogue scent, a molly, but it was very stale and I expect she hadn't been there for quite a while. Probably at least a day if not longer."

"I didn't even notice the molly's scent," Tigerclaw admitted. "At the time, the only scents I caught were the two kits'. And, well, the stale scents of other patrols, but that's to be expected."

Sunstar nodded and turned to Featherwhisker. "Take the kits to your den and check them over to make sure they're not sick or injured," he ordered.

Featherwhisker dipped his head and took the two tiny mollies from Fireheart and Tigerclaw before turning and heading off in the direction of the medicine clearing. Once he was gone, Sunstar turned his attention back to the two younger warriors with a serious expression on his face.

"Alright," the bright ginger tom meowed. "Now that Featherwhisker is tending to the kits, we need to discuss the issue of what we're going to do with them."

Fireheart stared at her Clan leader. "What do you mean? I'm going to raise them, of course. What else would we do with them?"

"And I'll help," Tigerclaw added, padding forward to press his flank against hers. "These kits don't have anywhere else to go, Sunstar. Leaf-bare will be coming again soon and the other Clans won't like it if we give them even _more _mouths to feed right now. We found them on our territory; perhaps it's a sign that we're meant to take care of them. Besides, the warrior code says we can't neglect a kit in pain or in danger."

Sunstar looked at them and nodded. "Very well, then," he agreed, his eyes glimmering slightly with approval.

"Thank you, Sunstar," Fireheart meowed, letting out a breath of relief she hadn't even realized she had been holding in. "I'm going to go see how they're doing now."

Together, she and Tigerclaw walked over to the medicine den, pushing their way in through the fern tunnel. To Fireheart's immense relief, both mollies were sitting up now, looking perfectly alert as they stared around at their surroundings. When their gazes turned towards her, she could have sworn she saw their eyes light up with excitement. Feeling her heart soften, Fireheart padded forward and touched her nose to their heads.

"Hello, you two. How are you feeling?" she asked gently.

"We're okay," the larger of the two kits piped up. "He–uh...Whiskerfeather said we're not sick or hurt."

"You mean Featherwhisker," Fireheart corrected her, chuckling slightly. "And that's wonderful news, dear."

"Who are you two?" the smaller kit asked, looking at her curiously.

"My name is Fireheart," the flame-colored warrior introduced herself. "I'm a warrior of ThunderClan."

"So am I," Tigerclaw meowed. Then, apparently realizing the implication of his words, quickly amended, "I mean, I'm also a warrior of ThunderClan, but my name isn't Fireheart. I'm called Tigerclaw."

"Wow," the first kit breathed, staring up at the two warriors with wide eyes. "You have such funny names!"

"I want a funny name too!" her sister added.

Fireheart purred, struggling hard to keep from laughing. She had been living in the Clans for so long, she didn't even think about how their naming system sounded to outsiders. Then again, she supposed she could see where the kits were coming from. After all, she had probably felt the same way when she met Bluefur, Thistleclaw, and Tigerclaw as a kittypet all those seasons ago.

"Well, I think we can arrange something," she chuckled. "Tell me, what are your names?"

At that, the two mollies exchanged a glance. Finally, the first one stepped forward and meowed, "Well, uh, our mother named both of us after flowers but...the names are kind of hard to say."

"Not a problem," Fireheart meowed gently. "We'll just give you two new names if that's alright with you."

The two kits nodded eagerly, their eyes sparkling with excitement. Fireheart was surprised at how well they appeared to be taking their mother's abandonment. She would have thought they would be in considerable distress, but instead they hardly seemed to care at all. Then again, perhaps the truth just hadn't fully sunk in yet.

"They both kind of look like you," Tigerclaw murmured in her ear. "You all have the same fur color. If I didn't know any better, I would say the three of you were kin."

Slightly startled, Fireheart took a closer look at the kits and realized that her mate was right. Their fur color _did _bear a heavy resemblance to hers; the only noticeable difference was in the smaller kit, who had a series of dark ginger tabby stripes. It was certainly a strange coincidence, considering her pelt color wasn't exactly common in wild cats. She brushed it off, however. Their fur color wasn't important right now. What mattered at the moment was thinking of names for them.

Studying the larger of the kits, Fireheart meowed, "I think I like Petalkit for her name. What do you think?"

She had intended for the question to be directed at Tigerclaw, but before the dark tabby could answer, the kit piped up, "I love it!"

Tigerclaw laughed and shook his head fondly. "Well, if she likes it, who am I to stand in the way?"

"It's settled, then," Fireheart meowed, touching Petalkit's flank gently with her tail. "She's going to be called Petalkit."

She turned her attention to the ginger tabby next, trying to think of a possible name for her. The kit's tabby stripes stood out so vividly against the rest of her fur that Fireheart almost felt as if she _had _to give her a name that honored them. Unfortunately, at the moment she was drawing a blank. Every stripe-related name that she thought of sounded utterly ridiculous even in her own mind.

_Stripekit?_ Nobody in their right mind would ever name a kit that.

_Tabbykit? _That was even worse than Stripekit. If she went that route, she might as well go all the way and just name her Catkit or even Kitkit.

"What do you think?" Fireheart asked, looking at Tigerclaw. "I'm having a bit of trouble with inspiration at the moment."

"Don't worry. I'm always here to help you," the dark tabby meowed, flicking her ears affectionately with his tail. He looked down at the tiny kit, furrowing his brow. "Hmm...she reminds me of a bumblebee. Maybe we could name her Beekit?"

Fireheart nodded. "It sounds cute," she agreed. Turning to the little molly, she asked, "What do you think of it?"

"Beekit!" the ginger tabby meowed triumphantly. "I'm Beekit!"

"I think that means yes," Tigerclaw purred, his eyes warm as he gazed down at Beekit.

"We'll take them to the nursery now," Fireheart meowed to Featherwhisker, who had remained silent the whole time. "Thanks for your help, Featherwhisker. I'm glad these little troublemakers are okay."

"Of course, Fireheart," the medicine cat meowed warmly.

"I'll go hunting and see if I can catch something small for them to eat. They look old enough to eat fresh-kill," Tigerclaw meowed, touching his nose gently to her ear.

"Alright," Fireheart agreed, nodding. "I'm going to take these two to the warriors' den. They look like they could use a nice nap."

Gently, she herded Petalkit and Beekit out of the medicine den and in the direction of the warriors' den. Eventually, she knew they would be moving into the nursery, but she didn't have a nest there anymore and she didn't feel like going to the trouble of building one right now. Her only concern was making sure that her kits were able to take a good, long nap. They had been through a lot that day.

_My kits_. She had already started to think of them as her own. Quietly, Fireheart settled herself down in her nest, purring softly as Petalkit and Beekit curled up beside her so as not to disturb her other Clanmates, who were sleeping soundly.

"Sleep well, little ones," she whispered as they began emitting soft snores. "I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."

* * *

**The kits are here! Speaking of kits, I have an important update to mention. Since Fireheart and Tigerclaw's second and final litter won't arrive for several chapters, I've decided to post two polls on my profile that you can vote on to decide what their names will be. The first poll is the name for the black molly and the second poll is the name for the Quince clone. When it comes time to write that chapter, I'll be using the winners from both polls. This way, I won't have to go through hundreds of reviews. **

**Speaking of reviews: **

**DragonClan: I'm glad you're enjoying it! Yes, they will all make an appearance toward the end of the story. **

**Nisa5552: That was probably one of my favorite chapters to write out of this entire book (the one where Thistleclaw dies, obviously, not...you know). **

**KrazyKube: This is a slight spoiler but I'm going to tell you anyway because I don't plan on making any mention of it in the actual story since it has absolutely no relevance to anything. Petalkit and Beekit are actually Jake's children. In this AU, after he left Quince and before he got together with Nutmeg, he became mates with a rogue queen and had Petalkit and Beekit with her. There's no real reason for this; I just like to imagine that Jake was the type of guy who was never really looking for a _serious _relationship but because cats don't have birth control...well. So basically, Fireheart is their biological sister and adopted mother. **

**Second of all, no, Petalkit and Beekit are not going to try to find their parents. Fireheart and Tigerclaw are their parents now because fuck you Erin Hunter, publishers, and everyone else in charge of the series, adopted parents are real parents too. **

**There will be a villain/antagonist eventually, but it won't be in the way you're probably expecting. **

**LadyZalen: Aw, thank you! I'm glad you enjoy my work. Bluefur and Fireheart's friendship is probably my favorite one to write in the entire story. I do like some good sisterly fluff. **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Yeah, the constant Tiger clones get annoying. Although to be fair, in this universe it wouldn't be a problem since Tigerclaw is a good cat so there's no stigma attached to looking like him. Now, if we had a Thistleclaw clone, that would be something else...**

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to vote in the polls! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	38. Family Time

"Fireheart, Fireheart, tell us another story!"

Tigerclaw shook his head in amusement as he padded into the camp with Stormflare, Bluefur, and Mistyfoot to find Petalkit and Stormkit pestering a rather exhausted-looking Fireheart. The flame-colored molly was lying on her side in the middle of the camp as their kits prodded at her swollen belly with their tiny paws. He felt his heart swell as he looked at his mate, imagining the two new additions that would be joining their family within the next quarter moon.

"Hello, you two," he meowed, padding over to Petalkit and Beekit. "Are you two bothering your mother again?"

"Yep!" Petalkit replied proudly.

Fireheart shook her head and looked up at Tigerclaw in mock despair. "They've been begging me to tell them stories ever since they woke up this morning. I've already told them the one about how the Clans formed five times today."

"Really?" Stormflare purred, looking at her younger sisters in amusement. "Was I that bad when I was their age?"

"Well, you weren't too interested in hearing stories," Fireheart told her. "But you _did _start swearing at an earlier age than these two, so I suppose it all balances out."

Bluefur rolled her eyes, but she looked ready to laugh. "And whose fault was that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Bluefur. I know how to behave."

The blue-gray molly shook her head fondly and flicked Fireheart affectionately over her ears. Fireheart rolled her eyes and sat up, a bit more slowly than usual due to the added weight from carrying her kits. Briefly, Tigerclaw wondered what names they would give their soon-to-be newborns. Personally, he liked the idea of naming at least one of them after Fireheart, but he knew she would never want that. Besides, it was unusual for a kit to be named after a cat who was still alive–and even then it was rare. That sort of honor only went to cats who had left a real impact on the Clans, whose names went down in history among the other great warriors such as Thunderstar, Riverstar, Shadowstar, and Windstar. Even though she was wrong in thinking so, Tigerclaw knew that Fireheart didn't consider herself to be anything remarkable.

"Anyway, how was the hunting today?" the flame-colored queen asked.

"Not bad," Stormflare answered, flicking her tail. "We managed to stock up the fresh-kill pile pretty well, I think. Stonefur and Mosspetal are still out there, though, so they should be bringing back more prey soon."

"That's good," Fireheart purred.

They continued conversing for a while after that. Soon, however, Petalkit and Beekit began yawning, so Fireheart excused herself so she could take them back to the nursery. Tigerclaw watched his mate and children disappear through the entrance before turning to Bluefur.

"Is there anything you need me to do? Go on a border patrol, maybe?" he asked.

Bluefur shook her head. "You've done more than enough for now. Relax for a bit and then you can go on the sunset patrol later," she replied. She paused for a moment, then added, "But if you really want to help, do you mind taking a piece of fresh-kill to Sunstar? I don't know if he's eaten today and I have to finish organizing the other patrols."

A shadow crossed over her face when she mentioned the ThunderClan leader. Tigerclaw felt a pang of worry in his chest. The entire Clan could tell that Sunstar was getting old, and he had heard some of the elders murmuring that he was on his last life. Whether or not this was true only Featherwhisker and Spottedleaf knew, but one thing was undeniable–he was definitely slowing down. He moved stiffly and his bright ginger muzzle had become patched and gray with age. At this point, it was only a matter of time until Bluefur took his place at the head of the Clan.

Dipping his head to the Clan deputy, Tigerclaw replied, "Of course, Bluefur."

"Oh look, Mosspetal and Stonefur are back," Stormflare meowed, looking over at the gorse tunnel. "I'll see you later; I promised Mosspetal I'd share a meal with her when she got back."

"Alright," Tigerclaw agreed, touching his nose to his daughter's ear. Stormflare licked his shoulder before turning and bounding over to meet Mosspetal.

"They're certainly close," Bluefur remarked, looking at the two younger mollies.

"They are," Tigerclaw agreed, chuckling. At this point, everyone was well aware that Stormflare and Mosspetal were in love with each other–they were just waiting for them to officially become mates.

Turning around, he padded over to the fresh-kill pile and picked out a squirrel to bring to his leader. As he was walking over to Sunstar's den, he passed by Whitestorm, who was sharing tongues with Redtail and Brindleface. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Willowpelt giving the white tom a hopeful glance, but since his back was turned toward her, Whitestorm failed to notice. He shook his head to himself; it looked as though Willowpelt had her work cut out for her.

"Sunstar?" Tigerclaw called out, pausing outside the leader's den.

"Come in, Tigerclaw," came the tired-sounding response from inside.

Sunstar was sitting up in his nest when Tigerclaw entered. He looked reasonably healthy, but his eyes were dull with exhaustion. As Tigerclaw placed the squirrel in front of the bright ginger tom's paws, he broke into a small coughing fit.

"Are you alright?" the dark tabby asked, feeling a pang of alarm. "I can get Featherwhisker for you if you'd like."

"No, no, that won't be necessary," Sunstar meowed, flicking his tail dismissively. "I'm perfectly fine. I've just spent a little too long in my den today. A little bit of fresh air, and I'll be right as rain."

"If you're sure," Tigerclaw replied dubiously.

"Absolutely. Go on and take a piece for yourself, now–you look dead on your paws," Sunstar ordered.

Tigerclaw nodded and turned around to leave, casting one last glance over his shoulder as he pushed his way through the curtain of lichen. To his relief, he saw Sunstar bend his head down to take a bite out of the squirrel. The ThunderClan leader chewed slowly, and for a moment, his eyes seemed to brighten a little.

He walked back over to the fresh-kill pile, passing by Whitestorm, Redtail, and Brindleface again. This time, however, Willowpelt was on the opposite end of the camp, talking with Spottedleaf, and Tigerclaw guessed that she had given up on her pursuit of Whitestorm for the time being. She didn't appear too bothered by his apparent lack of interest; on the contrary, she looked as cheerful as ever as she conversed with her sister. Tigerclaw couldn't help admiring her resolve, remembering all too well the way he had moped around when he thought Fireheart hated him. Well, technically he had been right–she _had _hated him at first. At least Willowpelt was fortunate in that regard; Whitestorm might not be interested in her in the same way, but he definitely didn't hate her.

Picking up a thrush from the pile, Tigerclaw turned and padded in the direction of the nursery. He pushed his way inside, only to find Fireheart, Petalkit, and Beekit all fast asleep. The fiery ginger molly was curled up protectively around their daughters, a peaceful, contented look on her face as she dozed away. A few nests away, White-eye was also taking an afternoon nap, but Tigerclaw didn't pay her any attention. His gaze remained fixated on Fireheart as he watched her sleep, happily oblivious to the world around her.

"I love you," he whispered to his family.

Careful not to disturb his mate and kits, Tigerclaw settled himself down on the floor of the nursery, content to just watch over his family. The squirrel lay a few tail-lengths away, utterly forgotten.

* * *

**Fireheart is having her kits soon! I was originally going to wait a little longer, but I have a major arc planned for her that I want to get to as soon as possible, so the babies will be here a bit sooner. They will make their appearance in the next chapter, which should be posted within the next few days. The polls will officially close on Thursday, February 13 at 13:00 PT, so be sure to get your votes in before then if you haven't done so already. **

**Stormflare and Mosspetal are mates because yes. **

**I'm working on a new update for Blazing Lilies, so expect that to come out soon as well. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	39. Round Three

A soft mew dragged Fireheart out of a dream in which she'd been stalking a blackbird on top of the Great Sycamore. Yawning, she blinked her eyes open sleepily and looked down in the direction the voice had come from. Her heart softened as she took in the wide, cheerful eyes of her now two-moon-old daughter, Briarkit. The little black molly's face lit up with excitement when she saw that her mother was awake.

"You're awake! Yay!" Briarkit chirped happily. "Now we can play together!"

"Wait a moment, sweetheart," Fireheart meowed, chuckling. "We still need to wait for your brother to wake up too."

"No fair," Briarkit pouted. "Why does Scorchkit always sleep so late?"

"I don't know, Briarkit. Some cats just like to sleep later than others," she told her daughter. "Your sister, Stormflare, used to wake up at the crack of dawn every single morning, but Mistyfoot and Stonefur always slept until it was nearly sunhigh."

The entrance to the nursery rustled slightly, and Fireheart turned her head to see Beepaw and Petalpaw pushing their way inside. Her daughters were carrying bundles of moss and feathers in their jaws, which they placed around her nest. Fireheart purred and adjusted herself so that she could touch her nose to their foreheads in greeting, making sure not to disturb Scorchkit, who was still sleeping soundly at her belly.

"Good morning, you two," she meowed. "Is your training going well today?"

Beepaw nodded. "Bluefur said she's going to teach me battle moves today after I finished bringing you fresh bedding," she meowed excitedly.

"That's wonderful, dear," Fireheart purred. Turning to Petalpaw, she asked, "And what about you?"

"It's going great!" Petalpaw replied cheerfully. "Runningwind said he's going to take me hunting later. He says I'm one of the best stalkers he's ever seen. I caught a rabbit that was almost as big as me the other day."

"I'm glad to hear it," Fireheart meowed warmly, giving Petalpaw a gentle lick between her ears. "Your father and I are very proud of both of you."

Briarkit let out a sigh, looking at her older sisters with undisguised envy. "I wish _I _could be an apprentice too. Then I won't have to wait for Scorchkit to wake up before I can do anything fun all the time."

"When you become an apprentice, I think you'll wish that you could sleep more, like he does," Fireheart told her kit, chuckling. The tiny black kit just looked at her disbelievingly and she shook her head. "Just wait, Briarkit. You'll be an apprentice before you know it, I promise."

"I know," Briarkit meowed, letting out a dramatic sigh. "But that's not for another four whole moons! I haven't even been alive for four moons, and it already feels like I've lived _forever_!"

Fireheart just shook her head to herself. Ever since the day of her birth, Briarkit had always been the most energetic out of any of her children. No matter what, it seemed that she was never satisfied unless she was allowed to be active. When she was a quarter moon old, she had begged Fireheart to let her become an apprentice and was subsequently disappointed to learn that she would only be permitted to start training when she had reached her sixth moon.

At that moment, Stormflare poked her head inside the nursery with a mouse in her jaws. "Hi, Fireheart. I thought you might be hungry so I brought this for you."

"Thank you, Stormflare," Fireheart murmured as her oldest daughter placed the mouse at her paws.

"Did you catch that all by yourself?" Briarkit asked, staring at the mouse with wide eyes.

"I did," Stormflare confirmed, an amused look on her face.

"Wow," the little black molly breathed. "That's so cool. I want to learn how to hunt too! But I still have to wait for stupid Scorchkit to stop sleeping before I can even leave the nursery."

"Briarkit! Don't be so nasty." Fireheart shook her head and looked up at Stormflare. "She's been waiting to play ever since she woke up this morning. I told her to wait for Scorchkit, but I think she might start jumping on him if he sleeps much longer."

Stormflare glanced down at her younger sister. "If you want, I could take her out to play," the tortoiseshell warrior offered. "I'm not on any patrols until sunhigh, so I'm more or less free until then. That should give Scorchkit enough time to wake up without her pouncing on him."

"Would you? That would be great," Fireheart meowed gratefully.

"Yay!" Briarkit cheered. "I get to go outside and play!"

She leaped to her paws and raced out of the nursery, forcing Stormflare to chase after her. Looking rather amused, Petalpaw and Beepaw meowed a quick goodbye to Fireheart before turning around and padding out of the den more slowly. Chuckling to herself, Fireheart tucked her paws underneath her chest and took a bite out of the mouse Stormflare had brought for her. It was still juicy but noticeably smaller than usual, a clear sign of the approaching leaf-bare season.

At least this time, there was still prey left in the forest. Fireheart shivered as she remembered the bitter leaf-bare during Stormflare's first few moons. The entire Clan had gone hungry, even Fireheart and Bluefur, who had been entitled to extra prey as nursing queens. Weakened by hunger, Larksong, Mumblefoot, and Weedwhisker had been unable to fight off colds and had joined their ancestors in StarClan. Mosspetal had nearly died of starvation as well until Fireheart offered to help nurse her.

As she finished off the last of her mouse, something shifted in her nest. Glancing down, she saw that Scorchkit had opened his eyes and was looking up at her sleepily. Purring, she touched her nose to his forehead as his jaws parted in a yawn.

"Well, hello there," Fireheart meowed. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Scorchkit replied, yawning. He stood up and stretched his tiny legs in front of him. "Where did Briarkit go?"

"She went outside to play with Stormflare. You can go join them if you'd like," she told her son.

"Okay." Scorchkit shook out his fluffy pelt and walked out of the nursery. "Bye, Fireheart."

"Don't bother Poppydawn!" Fireheart called out to him. "She's still sleeping. And make sure your sister doesn't cause trouble."

Now that she was alone in the nursery again, Fireheart decided it would be a good chance to get some more rest. She would need all the energy she could get in order to be able to watch her kits later. Closing her eyes, she curled up in her nest again and fell back asleep. As she did so, the flame-colored queen thought she heard someone else enter the den, but she had already dozed off before she could be certain of anything.

* * *

If there was one thing that raising three kits had taught Fireheart, it was that she couldn't count on getting too many hours of sleep at a time. No matter how many different ways she tried to explain the concept of silence, Stormflare, Beepaw, and Petalpaw had never been able to grasp the meaning until after they left the nursery. The trend had more or less continued with Briarkit, although Scorchkit was an exception since he was naturally a quiet cat.

Even when her kits weren't there to wake her up, Fireheart usually found herself awake after a short period of time anyway. She suspected it was an instinct of some sort, or perhaps there was a StarClan cat guarding the nursery, whispering in her ear to wake her up whenever Briarkit was about to get into trouble. It was certainly useful, even if it did have a habit of sending false alarms.

_StarClan, what I wouldn't give to be able to sleep for a moon right now, _she thought wistfully.

Reluctantly, Fireheart pushed herself out of her nest and padded slowly out of the nursery. Now that she was awake, she might as well stretch her legs. As she walked outside, something jumped onto her back and latched on with tiny claws. Fireheart let out a yowl of surprise before realizing that it was just Briarkit. The small black molly giggled, her amber eyes–so much like her father's–shining in triumph.

"Got you!" she meowed happily.

"Hello there, sweetheart," Fireheart chuckled, gently placing her daughter back on the ground. "What are you doing?"

"We're playing a game," Briarkit meowed importantly. "And I'm the Clan leader. Scorchkit is my deputy and Stormflare is a rogue that invaded our camp."

"Oh dear," Fireheart replied, feigning a look of exaggerated horror. "A rogue invasion? That's not good at all. We're lucky to have two brave warriors like you and your brother to protect us."

Briarkit puffed her chest up proudly as Scorchkit walked over to join them. "Hi, Fireheart," he greeted her cheerfully. "Are you going to play with us now too?"

"Of course she is!" Briarkit insisted, turning to her brother. "That's why she came out here. Right, Fireheart?"

"Well, I suppose I have time for a few games," Fireheart replied slowly, pretending to ponder the question. Briarkit and Scorchkit beamed with excitement. "What do you say we play a few rounds of hide-and-seek?"

"Yay!" both kits cheered.

"You're it, Fireheart!" Briarkit chirped, turning and speeding away with Scorchkit hot on her heels.

"Don't go out of the camp, now!" Fireheart called out to them. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and began to count. "One...two...three...four..."

* * *

**Okay, so I checked the results for the polls and Briarkit and Scorchkit were the pretty overwhelming favorites. They were the only ones to get ten or more votes, after all. **

**The babies are here! Well, technically they've been here for about two moons, but we'll ignore that. Fireheart certainly has her paws full with little Briarkit. But hey, at least Scorchkit is easy. He's going to have his work cut out for him keeping his sister in line when they get older...**

**On another note, the special arc I have planned for Fireheart begins in the next chapter, so get ready for that. No really, I mean get ready because I'm about to hurt all of you. **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Tigerclaw will never leave the honeymoon phase :). And yeah, normally two kits who were suckled together being mates would be kind of weird, but that was only done as an emergency solution to help save Moss, so they weren't technically raised as siblings and don't consider each other as such. **

**Featherleaf53980: Yes, Mosspetal is a girl. In this AU, Bluefur kept her kits, so Mosskit didn't die. She got to grow up and is now mates with Stormflare, Fireheart and Tigerclaw's daughter. **

**Dogwolf12: :D **

**KrazyKube: Well, technically they aren't _related_, but they are family. They would only be related if they shared the same blood, but since Fireheart was born a kittypet, that isn't happening anytime soon. As for the antagonist, that will make an appearance in the next chapter. No prophecies though because for one, I can't write them, and two, they're pretty much useless. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	40. The First Scare

Bluefur had never fully understood what the term "deja vu" meant. Of course, she had a basic understanding of what it meant–the sensation that something had been experienced before wasn't too difficult to comprehend–but she had never experienced that for herself, and as such had no idea how it would feel.

Watching Fireheart stare longingly at the gorse tunnel as Tigerclaw's patrol disappeared from view, however, Bluefur was almost certain that she was about to find out.

"Bored?" she asked, padding over to sit beside her former apprentice.

"A little," Fireheart admitted. She cast a glance over to where Briarkit and Scorchkit were play-fighting happily. "Don't get me wrong, I love those little troublemakers and I would never wish that they hadn't been born. But it gets awfully dull sitting here in the camp all day. I mean, there are only so many times I can repeat the same stories over and over, and it's not like I could take them out of the camp."

_Yep, _she thought, shaking her head. _Definitely deja vu. _

The logical part of Bluefur's mind–or perhaps it wasn't so logical; she could never be sure herself–was screaming at her to leave before she did something she regretted. The look of a queen who just needed fresh air was all too familiar to her–as were the consequences of acquiescing to her wishes. Memories of Snowfur's battered body lying on the Thunderpath as the monster sped away, utterly unrepentant, flashed in Bluefur's mind, and it was all she could do not to flinch.

"Bluefur?" Fireheart's meow snapped the blue-gray warrior back to reality. "Are you alright?"

"What–oh! Yes, I'm fine," Bluefur replied quickly, giving her chest fur a few licks to smooth it down. "Don't worry about me."

"If you say so," Fireheart replied dubiously. She stretched her paws out in front of her and added, "Why don't we go for a walk? It's been a while since I've had a chance to see the territory."

Bluefur stared at the younger warrior. "Are–are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked.

"Come on, what's the worst that could happen?" the flame-colored molly asked cheerfully.

Bluefur winced. "Don't even make me answer that."

Fireheart just shook her head. "Look, if you're worried I'll catch a cold or something, I'm pretty sure I won't. I've spent enough time lying around all day that I'll probably be safe for the next five leaf-bare seasons. Besides, if I don't get out soon, I'm going to eat my nest."

_Don't you dare! _Bluefur's mind screamed at her. _You know what happened last time. Do you want to be responsible for leading another queen to her death? _

"Come on, we don't have to go far," Fireheart coaxed.

"Well..." Bluefur hesitated for a few heartbeats, then nodded. "Alright, then."

_Things won't happen the same way, right? _she tried to convince herself. _As long as we avoid going anywhere near the Thunderpath, we shouldn't have anything to worry about. _

After Fireheart had gotten her kits settled in with White-eye, the two mollies padded out into the forest. Mistyfoot and Mousefur were standing guard as they walked out, and the two warriors nodded to them in greeting. Bluefur returned their greeting with a flick of her tail, but Fireheart seemed more interested in the snow-covered trees than her Clanmates.

"Wow," she breathed, her eyes wide with amazement. "They're so pretty."

"They're just trees," Bluefur pointed out, although she couldn't help chuckling slightly.

Fireheart scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You're such a killjoy."

Bluefur narrowed her eyes playfully. "Oh, is that what you think?" she asked.

Then, before Fireheart had time to react, she pounced, pinning the flame-pelted queen in the snow. Fireheart let out a yowl of surprise and battered at Bluefur with her hind legs, but moons of being stuck in the camp had rendered her far from her strongest condition, and she was unable to throw her former mentor off.

"Get off! Alright, you win!" she protested, laughing.

"Do you admit that I'm not a killjoy?" Bluefur asked, keeping her former apprentice pinned down underneath her.

"Never!" Fireheart yowled. Then, with renewed strength, she kicked her hind legs into Bluefur's belly again. Caught by surprise, Bluefur was unable to steady herself in time and found herself toppling into the freezing white powder.

As she pulled herself up, Fireheart did the same, shaking snow out of her pelt. "Wow, I _really _need to get in better shape."

"Well, you have spent over six moons in the camp," Bluefur pointed out. "It's natural that you're not as strong as you usually are."

"Yeah, I'll be looking forward to when Briarkit and Scorchkit become apprentices," the younger molly meowed, a wistful expression on her face. "I don't think I'll be having any more kits for a _long _time after this."

"I don't blame you," Bluefur meowed sympathetically.

"What about you?" Fireheart asked, glancing over at her as she bounded over a log. "Would you ever want more kits?"

"I'm not sure," Bluefur admitted. Now that she had children of her own, she had to admit that there was a certain joy in raising them that couldn't be replaced by simple Clan duties. At the same time, however, she didn't think she would want to go through the stress of balancing her deputy duties and raising a litter of kits again. "I suppose if the time was right, I might want more...but I doubt that will ever happen. I've been too busy with helping Sunstar run the Clan."

_That, and I probably couldn't have more kits even if I wanted, _she added silently to herself. _I can't risk another meeting with Oakheart, not now that his brother is RiverClan's leader and I'm next in line to succeed Sunstar. We can't afford to destroy our reputations like that. And Thrushpelt..._

A pang of guilt hit her as she remembered how excited Thrushpelt had been when Mistyfoot, Stonefur, and Mosspetal were born. He had played the part of a proud father so convincingly, Bluefur was certain that if Thistleclaw had been there to witness it, not even he would have doubted his sincerity. It wasn't all acting, either–she could tell that he genuinely loved her kits. Yet as grateful as she was for his support, she couldn't help feeling guilty as well.

Bluefur _wanted _to love Thrushpelt. The sandy-gray tom was everything she _should _have wanted in a mate. He was a good warrior, kind, friendly with almost everyone, and always seemed to be putting everyone else's needs before his own. Oakheart was self-centered, egotistical, and didn't seem to care how his actions affected those around him. Yet somehow, it was him, not Thrushpelt, who had captured her attention.

Not that she was in love with Oakheart either, as she now realized. Her attraction to him had been borne of fascination due to his good looks and confident nature, not real love. When Bluefur thought about it, the way she had supposedly "fallen" for Oakheart wasn't all that different from the way Snowfur had fallen in love with Thistleclaw. The only difference was that Oakheart wasn't needlessly cruel or violent–and not to mention that he would never, ever consider manipulating an apprentice the way Thistleclaw had done to Spottedleaf.

A flurry of movement out of the corner of her eye caught Bluefur's attention. Turning her head, she saw Fireheart standing a few tail-lengths away, a squirrel clamped triumphantly in her jaws.

"Well done," Bluefur purred.

"Thanks," Fireheart meowed happily. She buried the squirrel underneath a small pile of snow and bounded away. "Come on, the next one's on you!"

As cliche as it sounded, Bluefur wasn't entirely sure of what happened within the next few heartbeats. She watched as Fireheart padded further away, her ears pricked for any sign of prey. Despite being out of shape, she looked as normal as ever, if a bit heavier than Bluefur was used to seeing. Her fur was fluffed out against the cold, but her head was raised proudly and there was a joyous glint in her eyes at being outside again.

Then suddenly, without warning, she collapsed on the ground, unconscious.


	41. Worry

When Fireheart opened her eyes, she was puzzled to find herself in the medicine den surrounded by Tigerclaw, Bluefur, Featherwhisker, and her kits. Her entire body ached and despite her exhaustion, she could clearly see the worried expressions of her friends and family. As she pushed herself up, she felt Tigerclaw rush forward and press his nose to her cheek.

"Hey, there," Fireheart meowed weakly.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?" Tigerclaw demanded frantically. "Bluefur told us that you collapsed while the two of you were out for a walk."

"I'm fine, Tigerclaw," she reassured her mate gently.

"You gave everyone quite a fright," Featherwhisker meowed, eyeing her with concern clear in his gaze.

Fireheart laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that," she meowed apologetically. "But I'm okay, really. Just, you know, being stuck in the camp all day...I guess I must have pushed myself too hard."

The others hesitated for a few heartbeats, and Fireheart could tell that they didn't entirely believe her. Finally, Featherwhisker replied, "Well, be that as it may, I'd still like to keep you in here until tomorrow morning. Purely as a precautionary measure, of course. If you say you're feeling alright, I trust you, but we can never be too careful."

"Fair enough," the flame-colored queen answered, too worn out to argue.

"And from now on, no more adventures out of the camp for you," Bluefur told her, sounding rather like a queen scolding a misbehaving kit. "You're staying inside until you get your strength back up."

"Fine, Mother," Fireheart meowed, rolling her eyes playfully. Bluefur cuffed her gently over her ears.

Stormflare looked at her anxiously. "Are you sure nothing like that has ever happened before?"

"This was the first time," she reassured her daughter. "As I said earlier, I just pushed myself too hard. Being stuck in the camp all day doesn't exactly do wonders in terms of staying in shape, you know."

The tortoiseshell molly still didn't look convinced. "Well...okay. But make sure you don't go out again until you're better, okay? I don't want my mama getting sick."

"I'll be fine, sweetheart," Fireheart meowed gently, giving Stormflare a gentle lick to her forehead. "Don't you worry about me."

Eventually, Featherwhisker shooed the others out of his den so that Fireheart could get some rest. Fireheart was a bit disappointed to see them go, but she knew better than to argue. It wasn't as though Featherwhisker would listen to her. Besides, she was sure they had duties of their own to attend to, not to mention sitting around in the medicine den all day would get boring after a while. As she curled up in her makeshift nest, Tigerclaw licked her ears tenderly before turning and pushing his way out through the fern tunnel, pausing only briefly to cast a worried glance at her over his shoulder. She nodded to him encouragingly, and he seemed to relax before he finally disappeared from view.

Once Tigerclaw had left, Fireheart turned her head to stare at the wall of the medicine den. "I see...so I passed out," she murmured to herself. "But why?"

She had been out of shape when she returned to her warrior duties after nursing Stormflare, but not once had she ever come remotely close to passing out. In fact, Fireheart couldn't remember ever doing so once in her life. If she were a bit older, she might have blamed it on age, but she was still a relatively young warrior. Surely a simple walk shouldn't have been enough to make her pass out, even if she was out of shape. Not to mention Swiftbreeze was considerably older than her and hadn't had any problems returning to her duties after Redtail, Spottedleaf, and Willowpelt were apprenticed.

Fireheart tried to brush her thoughts away. She was just being paranoid, she told herself. The reason she had collapsed had to be that she had spent longer in the nursery than most queens did in a single span of time. Maybe she was wrong; maybe simple exhaustion _was _enough to make a cat pass out. It wasn't as though she felt sick or anything like that.

_I should get some sleep. I'm not doing myself any favors by sitting around worrying, _Fireheart thought.

Closing her eyes, she rested her head on her paws and allowed herself to doze off. Regardless of what health issues she might or might not have, they could wait to be dealt with until later.

* * *

Tigerclaw paced outside the warriors' den, barely aware of his Clanmates eyeing him worriedly. A few fox-lengths away, Stormflare was murmuring something to Mosspetal, who was looking at her mate with a sympathetic expression on her face. Bluefur was sitting beside a half-eaten thrush, going back and forth between picking at her meal and casting anxious glances over to the medicine clearing. Petalpaw and Beepaw were watching over Briarkit and Scorchkit, but even the kits weren't interested in playing for once. All of them were worried about Fireheart, but until she was released from the medicine den, there was nothing they could do.

"What happened, exactly?" he asked, pausing in his pacing to speak to Bluefur. "Did she seem sick before the two of you left on your walk?"

Bluefur shook her head. "No," she replied, her eyes puzzled. "She was perfectly normal. Very chipper and excited to get out of the camp too. I really don't know what happened; one moment she was fine and the next, she just collapsed out of nowhere."

"Did she seem tired at all?" Tigerclaw pressed.

"Not really," the blue-furred queen answered. "As I said before, she was perfectly cheerful. It really did just happen out of the blue."

Tigerclaw nodded and resumed his pacing. Instead of easing his concerns, all his questioning of Bluefur had done was make him worry even more. If Fireheart really had seemed perfectly healthy before she passed out, it could only mean one of two things. One, that she had passed out due to exhaustion as she had claimed earlier, or two, that the underlying cause of her fainting couldn't be detected yet. He could only hope that it was the former and not the latter, but unfortunately, he didn't think even Featherwhisker knew for sure.

"Are we really sure she hasn't passed out like that before?" Stormflare asked. Tigerclaw jumped slightly; he hadn't even realized that his daughter had joined them.

"I haven't seen it happen," he answered. "And I've known her since we were apprentices."

"Neither have I," Bluefur confirmed. "She's never even really gotten sick except for when she had greencough as an apprentice."

"What about before she came to ThunderClan, though? Did she ever mention something like that happening?" Mosspetal asked, padding over to join the group.

"Not really, no," Tigerclaw meowed, thinking back to all the conversations he'd had with Fireheart about her kittypet life. "But then again, she wasn't too interested in talking about those days anyway."

Her littermates would know if Fireheart had ever passed out before, he realized. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he brushed it away. There was no way he was going to the trouble of looking for his mate's siblings just because she had collapsed. They didn't deserve to know what had happened, and he guessed that Fireheart wouldn't want them to get involved anyway.

"No," he meowed out loud. "We're just being paranoid. If Fireheart says she's fine, then we should trust her. It won't do any good to worry about all of the things that might be wrong with her."

Of course, when it came to Fireheart, not worrying was considerably easier said than done.


	42. Rapid Decline

One moon passed, and soon newleaf was beginning to make its mark on the forest. The snow had melted, leaving the trees as green and vibrant as ever. Prey was beginning to return, and the fresh-kill pile was full for the first time in almost half a moon. Tiny buds began to sprout. Fireheart's kits, Briarkit and Scorchkit, were only three moons shy of being ready for their apprentice ceremonies now, something that neither kit would let her forget.

"Fireheart, guess what? Scorchkit and I are going to be apprentices soon!" Briarkit meowed excitedly.

"Yes, I know. I'm sure you two will be wonderful warriors," Fireheart purred, touching her nose to her daughter's ear.

"Who do you think our mentors will be?" Scorchkit asked.

"I'm not sure. That will be up to Sunstar," she told him. _Or Bluefur, perhaps, if she becomes our leader before my kits are apprenticed. _

"I want Stormflare to be my mentor," Briarkit announced.

"She would make a good mentor," Fireheart murmured in agreement.

"I want Mistyfoot," Scorchkit offered quietly. "She's so cool. Do you think Sunstar would let her mentor me?"

"That's up to him," she purred, chuckling. "But I'm sure I could get a word in if you'd like."

As her two kits continued to talk eagerly about which cats they would receive as their mentors, Fireheart stretched her paws out in front of her and let out a yawn. Even though it was barely sunhigh, she was already feeling worn out. She let out a silent sigh of frustration; it seemed that no matter what she did, she was always tired these days. It wasn't for lack of sleep, either. Fireheart had fallen asleep well before moonhigh the previous night, yet for some reason, she still felt incredibly weak.

_What's going on with me? _

Fireheart wasn't stupid; she knew that something wasn't right with her. The problem was, neither she nor anyone else could figure out what it was since her only symptoms thus far was an unusual level of exhaustion. Not even Featherwhisker or Spottedleaf seemed to have any idea what was wrong. She hadn't even passed out again, so she was more or less confident that she could write that off as a one-time incident. But with no other health concerns, Fireheart had no choice but to hope that her lingering weakness would subside in time as well.

_Perhaps a bit of fresh air is all I need,_ Fireheart thought. She knew that Bluefur had forbidden her from leaving the camp, but the blue-gray queen was out on patrol at the moment. Besides, she wasn't planning on going far. What Bluefur didn't know wouldn't hurt her. All she needed now was a way to keep her kits distracted.

"Briarkit, Scorchkit, why don't you two take a piece of prey to the elders?" she suggested. "If you do that, they might be able to tell you a few stories."

Briarkit's eyes lit up. "Great idea!" she yowled, turning around and sprinting out of the nursery with her brother following close behind.

As soon as her kits had disappeared, Fireheart pushed herself to her paws. She nearly stumbled as she did so, but she tried to brush it off, deciding that it had only happened due to spending so much time lying down. Shaking herself off, the flame-colored queen pushed her way out of the nursery and into the camp. Fireheart paused for a few heartbeats to sniff at the air as Tigerclaw padded up to her, a squirrel in his jaws.

"Good morning," he purred, dropping the squirrel at her paws and giving her forehead an affectionate lick. "How are you feeling today?"

It was a casual inquiry, but the concern in her mate's eyes was clear. Out of everyone in the Clan, Tigerclaw alone knew how much her condition had worsened over the past moon. For the most part, she was able to hide it from their friends and family, but he had always been able to see right through her. More than once, he had insisted that she visit Featherwhisker for herbs, but she declined every single time.

"I'm fine," Fireheart meowed, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "Just a bit tired, that's all."

"Are you sure? I can get Featherwhisker if you want," Tigerclaw offered worriedly.

"No, it's alright," she answered, shaking her head. "I don't think I need any herbs. Just a bit of fresh air would be great, though."

Tigerclaw shook his head immediately. "Fireheart, you know what Bluefur said. No going out until your strength is back to normal," he meowed.

"Ah, whatever," Fireheart replied cheerfully, waving him off. "What she doesn't know can't hurt her, right? Besides, we won't go far. Just a few heartbeats and I'll come back inside."

"Well..." Fireheart could see Tigerclaw struggling between his respect for Bluefur and his desire to make her happy. "Okay, then. But just for a little bit."

"Great!" she purred, pressing her nose to her mate's cheek. "Let's go, then."

Unfortunately, it appeared that StarClan had other plans in mind, or perhaps they simply enjoyed tormenting her. Not even two heartbeats after Fireheart started walking towards the gorse tunnel, a wave of blackness washed over her and she passed out.

* * *

When Fireheart came around again, she was less than pleased to realize that she was back in the medicine den. That was the last place she had been hoping to get stuck in. To make matters worse, her head was throbbing painfully, which she guessed was a result of hitting her head when she had fallen over. As her vision slowly came into focus, she was able to make out the worried faces of Tigerclaw and Featherwhisker watching over her.

"Ugh...that hurt," Fireheart groaned, struggling to sit up.

Tigerclaw pressed his nose against her cheek. "Lie still," he murmured gently. "You need to rest. You've just woken up from fainting."

"Yeah, I figured as much," the flame-colored warrior answered, settling back down in her nest all the same.

"You hit your head pretty hard there, Fireheart," Featherwhisker remarked, and Fireheart finally noticed the cobwebs bandaged around her head. "How do you feel? Any soreness or nausea?"

"A little sore, but other than that I feel alright. Not too much worse than before at least," she replied.

It was partially true–aside from a splitting headache, she still felt the same as she had earlier that day. Yet despite her physical health being more or less normal, as Fireheart turned to stare at the den wall, she couldn't suppress a twinge of doubt in the back of her mind.

_So, I passed out again..._

No matter what, she couldn't seem to rationalize her collapsing yet again. When it had happened the first time, she had been able to brush it off as nothing more than overexertion. This time, however, there could be no such excuse. She had barely taken two steps outside of the nursery; there was no reason for her to pass out so easily. Then, of course, there was the fact that her strength had been diminishing steadily over the past moon. That was another issue entirely, and one that Fireheart wasn't any closer to figuring out the answers to.

"Fireheart?" With a start, she realized that Featherwhisker was looking at her as though waiting for her to speak.

"Er–sorry, what did you say?" she asked sheepishly. The silver-gray medicine cat shook his head.

"I was asking if you were alright. That's the second time in a moon that you've passed out," he repeated, looking at her in concern. "Are you sure that there isn't something else going on with you? Something that I should be looking into?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Fireheart replied automatically. "It was probably just–"

"Don't," Tigerclaw interrupted, his tail lashing.

Fireheart blinked, turning to look at her mate. "What are you talking–?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! Stop saying that everything's fine and dandy when we can all see that it's not," Tigerclaw snapped. Fireheart watched as the dark tabby began pacing back and forth.

"Tigerclaw, I know you're worried about me, but there's really no need to–"

"No need to what? No need to get worked up about it?" He shook his head. "Pardon me, Fireheart, but I just saw you collapse out of nowhere. I was skeptical when you said you passed out due to working yourself too hard the first time, but it sounded fairly reasonable so I let it slide. But now? No. You shouldn't be so out of shape that taking two steps out of the nursery is too much work for you, especially considering that you have to keep up with Briarkit. I know that something isn't right, Fireheart, and sooner or later, so will everyone else. So please, just tell us the truth–_what _is going on?"

Fireheart stared at Tigerclaw for a few heartbeats, then shook her head slowly and turned to gaze at the wall again.

"I don't know," she whispered.


	43. Realization

During the next half a moon, Fireheart was in and out of the medicine den nearly every day. When she wasn't watching her kits or sharing a meal with Tigerclaw or her friends, she was being looked over by Featherwhisker and Spottedleaf. It reached the point where the flame-colored warrior started joking that she might as well move into the medicine den for good. Yet for all the time she spent there, nobody could figure out what was wrong with her. They had tried nearly every herb imaginable, from giving her poppy seeds to help her sleep better to the usual seasonal cold remedy. At one point, Spottedleaf even gave Fireheart yarrow, thinking that perhaps she had ingested a poison somehow. Nothing worked, and as her condition steadily grew worse, they were beginning to lose hope.

She had lost weight even though she was still eating a normal amount of fresh-kill. Tigerclaw even brought her a few extra pieces on occasion, and it still didn't make a difference. No matter how much sleep she got, she always felt weak and exhausted. On top of it all, Fireheart had passed out on several more occasions, once frightening Petalpaw when she fainted in the middle of a conversation with her.

A few evenings before Petalpaw and Beepaw were set to receive their warrior names, Fireheart was heading back to the nursery after another checkup with Featherwhisker and Spottedleaf. As she passed by the warriors' den, she heard voices coming from inside. This was a fairly typical occurrence, so she almost ignored them and walked past until she heard her name being spoken.

"Does Featherwhisker know what's wrong with Fireheart yet?" Stormflare asked. Her voice was quiet, and Fireheart guessed that she was trying to avoid waking up the other warriors.

"No." It was Tigerclaw who answered, his voice soft with sorrow. "No, he doesn't."

"Why not?" her daughter asked angrily. "It's been almost two moons and he still can't figure it out! Surely he must have _some _idea; he's supposed to be our medicine cat!"

"Sometimes it can be harder to diagnose an illness," Tigerclaw meowed gently. "Featherwhisker is doing his best. I'm as worried about Fireheart as you are, but we can't take it out on him."

"Well, that's not exactly comforting when Fireheart seems to be getting worse and worse every day!" Stormflare snarled. "How hard could it possibly be? She's in his den almost all the time! I–I–"

Fireheart's chest tightened painfully when she heard her daughter's voice break. There were a few moments of silence, and she could imagine Tigerclaw gently pressing his muzzle against the tortoiseshell molly's head to try to comfort her. When Stormflare finally spoke up again, she no longer sounded angry or frustrated, just tired and sad.

"I don't want to lose her," she whispered.

"I know," Tigerclaw murmured. "I don't want to lose your mother either. But it's not up to us to decide that. If StarClan has decided that it's time for her to join them, then all we can do is make sure her journey there is as comfortable as possible."

Fireheart stared at the entrance to the warriors' den, stunned. Was what she heard true? Did her family really believe that she was going to die? She knew something was dreadfully wrong with her, but she had never really considered the possibility that whatever it was might be incurable or fatal.

Shaking her head in denial, she took a few paces back from the warriors' den. She couldn't allow herself to start getting paranoid now. There had to be a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why she was still sick–and why her illness seemed to defy all attempts to cure it. Maybe Featherwhisker just hadn't discovered the right combination of herbs yet, or maybe her illness worked in such a way that the medicine simply took longer to take effect. Whatever the reason, there was no reason to worry about her potential death.

Except that Stormflare was right.

Regardless of why it was taking so long for her to recover from her illness, the fact remained that her health had only grown worse as time progressed, a trend that showed no indication of changing. Fireheart trusted Featherwhisker and she knew that he would stop at nothing to determine a way to help her. Even if it meant he didn't get to sleep for an entire moon, even if it meant waiting an entire lifetime, he would find a cure. That was how dedicated he was to his job. Yet hearing Stormflare and Tigerclaw's conversation, Fireheart was finally forced to admit the gravity of the situation. The longer Featherwhisker took to find a suitable mix of herbs, the more time her health would have to continue to deteriorate.

_I'm running out of time. _

The realization hit her like the Great Sycamore toppling over, crushing her underneath its weight. Fireheart stumbled backward, her breath catching in her chest, then turned and fled out of the camp. She was certain that someone had heard her, but she didn't bother to see if she was being followed. At this point, that was the least of her worries. Finally, when she couldn't run any further, she let herself drop to the ground, her chest heaving as she fought to catch her breath.

"I'm going to die," Fireheart whispered, staring down at the ground but not quite seeing it. "I'm going to die."

Even to her own ears, it sounded foolish. Of _course_, she was going to die–everyone did at some point. She had known all along that nobody was immortal, and she had seen enough of her Clanmates pass on to confirm this. Somehow, though, knowing she was going to die eventually and knowing that the day was nearly upon her were two different things entirely.

In a way, Fireheart supposed she couldn't really complain. After all, she had already gotten everything that any cat could ever want out of life. She had a wonderful family and she had gotten to serve her Clan as a proud warrior. Her oldest daughter had even received her warrior name and found a mate of her own. There were plenty of cats who would never get to experience any of that. At the same time though, she couldn't help feeling as though she were being robbed.

She was still a relatively young cat–she qualified as a senior warrior now, but she was nowhere close to being old enough to join the elders' den. Before her mysterious sickness, she had been as fit and ready to fight for her Clan as ever. If all had gone well, Fireheart was certain that she could have continued to serve ThunderClan for many more seasons before finally retiring to a life of peace. That was the future she had been envisioning for herself.

But now it looked as if she would never get the chance. Even worse, Fireheart wasn't sure if she would live long enough to see Briarkit and Scorchkit become apprentices, let alone earn their warrior names. With the way things were going, there was a good chance she would be dead within the next moon or two. It was a morbid thought, but Fireheart couldn't summon the energy to be shocked that it had crossed her mind.

"Why?" she whispered, although she didn't know who she was talking to. "Why now? Couldn't it have waited just a few more seasons? At least then I would get to see all of my kits grow up."

Bluefur had told her once that she was a fighter after she kicked Tigerclaw–Tigerpaw then–in the ribs when he annoyed her during a training session. It was a label that Fireheart had always worn with pride; after all, fighting was an integral part of Clan life and it proved that she belonged with the wild cats even though she had been born a kittypet.

Right now, however, she didn't feel like much of a fighter at all. She didn't know how to fight her ailment–she could try, of course, but it wouldn't change the fact that only the right medicine would be able to cure her completely, and it didn't look as though anyone had any idea what it might be. No matter what she did, the outcome would be the same either way.

_How can I fight in a battle with a predetermined winner?_

* * *

**So yeah...for those of you who wanted to know if Fireheart's illness was serious...I guess this chapter should answer that. I think I enjoy making characters suffer a little too much. **

**Responses to a few reviews: **

**Peaklog3727: Those are awesome names! The only one I don't think will work is Briarlight since that's the name of a pretty well-known canon character and I don't want to confuse anyone too much. Thanks for the suggestions, though :). **

**KrazyKube: Actually, when I first started planning this arc, my first idea was that Thistleclaw was somehow tormenting Fireheart from beyond the grave and making her ill, but I scrapped that idea when I realized I had no idea how to execute it. **

**scarlett quagmire: Well...you got your wish. **

**Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: Yeah... :(**

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	44. Hopeless

After losing her mother, her friend, and her sister in fairly rapid succession, Bluefur thought she knew everything on how to cope with death and grief. There weren't many cats who could say they had suffered as much as she had–not that it was a competition, of course. She had witnessed Moonflower and Snowfur meet sudden, horrific, bloody ends right in front of her, and she had also seen Sweetpaw suffer an agonizingly painful death that no herbs could soothe. Granted, she hadn't handled their losses particularly well, but that was in the past now. Bluefur felt certain that if she ever lost someone else, she wouldn't break down again.

Right now, however, she was almost positive that she was going to prove herself wrong.

It was clear as day that Fireheart was dying. No matter how much Bluefur tried to deny it, telling herself that she was just overreacting, the fact remained that her former apprentice had been sick for moons with no sign of improvement. She spent nearly all of her time in the medicine den these days, leaving the care of Briarkit and Scorchkit to White-eye. Her once bright fur had turned dull, and her eyes looked empty and exhausted.

The worst part was that Fireheart seemed to have realized her impending fate as well. Despite the pain she must have been in, she had always made an effort to appear cheerful in front of her family, insisting that she needed to keep up a normal lifestyle. She didn't seem interested in doing so anymore. Whenever anyone tried to speak to her, she only responded in grunts or the occasional nod or shake of her head, and Bluefur didn't think she had seen her eat anything for at least three days. Not that she blamed her, of course. If she were in Fireheart's place, Bluefur knew that she wouldn't be too interested in caring for herself either.

"Why does she have to go?" Bluefur whispered to herself. _It's not fair! Everyone I love always gets taken from me! _

Well, perhaps that wasn't entirely accurate. She still had Whitestorm, after all. But with the way her life had gone so far, it was only a matter of time until he met some sort of untimely end as well.

Bluefur shook her head, staring down at the ground. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she thought–maybe Fireheart would recover somehow. Featherwhisker was working day and night to try to find a way to cure her; surely he would succeed eventually. There was nobody in the Clan with more knowledge of medicine than him. All Fireheart needed to do was fight against her illness, and the rest would take care of itself.

_Who am I kidding, though? _she thought miserably. Fireheart wasn't even remotely interested in fighting anymore. It seemed as if she had given up.

* * *

"Here, eat this. You need to keep your strength up."

Fireheart cast a brief glance toward Tigerclaw as the dark tabby placed a squirrel beside her but didn't say a word. Letting out a sigh, she poked moodily at the squirrel with a claw. For the past three days, Tigerclaw had been trying to coax her into eating her meals. She knew he meant well, but she just wasn't hungry. With the realization that she was going to die soon, she wasn't sure if she would ever be hungry again.

"Take a bite," Tigerclaw meowed encouragingly. "You'll feel better if you eat."

_What's the point, Tigerclaw? _Fireheart asked silently, still poking at the bushy-tailed rodent with her claw. _We all know that I'm running out of time. A stupid squirrel isn't going to change that. _

Sensing that she wasn't going to eat the squirrel anytime soon, Tigerclaw let out a sigh and picked it up again. With one last sorrowful glance over his shoulder, the massive warrior turned around and pushed his way out of the medicine den. Fireheart watched her mate disappear through the fern tunnel, feeling a pang of guilt at the way his tail dragged on the ground behind him. She hated that he was hurting and she especially hated that it was because of her, but there was nothing she could do about it. If StarClan had decided that it was her time to join them, she wouldn't be able to change her fate.

Part of her wanted to curse her warrior ancestors for making her go through this. Her life had been going so well–she had everything she could have ever asked for, and all of a sudden, she found out that she would be dead within a moon or so. It almost felt as if she was being punished for being happy, as though StarClan had decided to drop this on her _because _they thought she had too many good things in her life. Another part of Fireheart, however, wondered if it had been inevitable anyway. Perhaps she had always been destined to die an early death and StarClan had nothing to do with it.

_If I were still a kittypet, I probably wouldn't be blaming a bunch of dead cats right now, _she thought to herself, chuckling quietly even though there was nothing funny about the situation.

Fireheart exhaled slowly, staring at the wall of the medicine den. If she were still a kittypet, her Twolegs would have taken her to the vet by now to get her checked out. She knew that the vet used much more advanced medicine than the Clans. Would she have stood a better chance of beating her illness if she had stayed in Twolegplace? On the off chance that she decided to go to a vet now, would they be able to save her?

_No, _she decided. It was too late to cure her now, she could feel it. Even if she decided to go to a vet–which she had no interest in doing so anyway–they would probably only be able to buy her a little more time. There was no point in abandoning her Clan in exchange for one or two extra moons.

The entrance to the den rustled as Bluefur stepped inside, carrying a bundle of dripping wet moss. Without a word, she padded over to Fireheart and placed the moss in front of her. Fireheart was about to refuse to drink but then, realizing how thirsty she was, reluctantly bent her head to lap up a few droplets of water. It was cool and refreshing, and the flame-colored queen could see Bluefur relax slightly at the sight of her drinking.

"Are you feeling alright?" her former mentor asked. "I can get you something to eat if you want."

"No thanks," Fireheart murmured, shaking her head. "I'm not very hungry."

Bluefur frowned. "You haven't eaten for days," she pointed out. "You must be at least a little hungry."

"I'm really not," Fireheart insisted.

"Well, you should eat something," Bluefur replied. "You need to keep your strength up, after all."

Fireheart just shook her head, letting out a resigned sigh. What was the point in keeping her strength up now? It wouldn't make any difference in the long run–she would still be dying. She was going to spend the rest of her life wasting away in the medicine den, wasting away like some sort of elder because she was too weak to do anything else. A few pieces of prey here and there wouldn't be enough to change her fate. Unfortunately, she could sense that Bluefur wouldn't accept no for an answer, so she nodded reluctantly.

"Fine," she replied flatly, still staring at the wall. "I'll see if I feel up to eating later."

Bluefur opened her mouth to argue, then evidently thought better of it. Nodding, she gave Fireheart a quick lick between her ears before turning and padding out of the den. Fireheart watched her go for a few heartbeats before slowly pulling herself up, climbing out of her nest and stretching her legs out in front of her. With a yawn, she walked around the corner over to where she knew Featherwhisker kept his herbs stored. The silver-gray tom spent most of his time back there, but neither he nor Spottedleaf was anywhere to be seen today. Fireheart suspected that they had gone out to gather more supplies.

_Everyone gets to continue on with their regular lives, _she thought bitterly. _Even the elders do because unlike me, they're _supposed _to be spending the entire day lying around. I'm the only one who's having her entire purpose snatched away from her. _

Maybe things would be easier to handle if she had never joined ThunderClan in the first place. If she had always been destined to die this way, then nobody would have been able to do anything to help her, not Featherwhisker, Spottedleaf, or the vet. But she wouldn't have had to leave her family because she wouldn't have them. She would never have met or fallen in love with Tigerclaw, never befriended Bluefur and Whitestorm, and her kits...her kits wouldn't exist. They would have gone on with their normal lives, never even knowing that she existed.

She should never have joined ThunderClan in the first place. At least that way, it wouldn't hurt as much to have to leave.


	45. Newfound Hope

"Fireheart, will you walk with me for a bit?"

Fireheart looked up from her half-eaten mouse to see Bluefur standing just inside the entrance to Featherwhisker's den. She stared at her friend, flicking her ears in confusion. With her deputy duties, Bluefur hardly had time to go for walks anymore, and Fireheart was by all intents and purposes still confined to the camp. What could possibly be so important that she was willing to take the risk of dragging her outside now?

"Er...am I supposed to?" she asked finally. "I thought I was meant to be staying here in the medicine den now."

"We won't go far," Bluefur promised. "And I'll make sure to go easy on you. There are just a few things I want you to see."

"If you say so," Fireheart agreed, still feeling skeptical. She couldn't imagine what could possibly be out there in the forest that was so interesting–after all, she had seen everything there was to see on ThunderClan territory countless times over.

Slowly, she pushed herself to her paws, stumbling slightly as she tried to get used to the feeling of standing again. Fortunately, Bluefur was able to catch her before she fell over and allowed Fireheart to lean on her shoulder for support. Murmuring a quick word of thanks, the flame-colored molly quickly righted herself before following the ThunderClan deputy out of the medicine den.

The camp was mostly deserted, and Fireheart assumed that most of her Clanmates were either taking naps or out on various patrols. She realized that was probably why Bluefur had insisted on going on a walk now. With so many cats absent, there was less chance of being spotted–and, therefore, being sent back to her nest. Fireheart almost laughed out loud; Bluefur was more cunning than she let on sometimes.

As they padded through the forest, Fireheart realized that this was the first time she had been outside in nearly three moons. Despite this, however, the forest still looked the same as it always did. She felt a little better. It was comforting to know that no matter how much time passed, the territory that she had called home ever since she was six moons old wouldn't change. Well, it did vary in appearance from one season to the next, but there was very little change within those variations.

"So, how have you been holding up?" Bluefur asked after a while. "I noticed that you were eating again today."

"Yeah, I guess," Fireheart agreed, stepping around a fallen tree. Normally, she could have cleared it in one leap, but she didn't have the strength to do that now. "I've been fine, mostly. Better than I was at first."

For once, she was telling the truth. After spending the past moon dwelling on her approaching death, Fireheart had finally decided that it wasn't worth moping around. She was going to die; that was inevitable. But, she told herself over and over, she wasn't going to join StarClan with any regrets. After all, she _had _gotten everything she could have possibly asked for. That would just have to be good enough for her–and it was. It was more than good enough. When she considered all of the possible alternatives, Fireheart had to admit that she had it better than most.

_Yes, _she thought to herself. _I've had a good life. _

Out loud, she meowed, "I guess I've just kind of decided to accept it, you know? If StarClan has decided that I'm going to die in a moon or two, there's not really much I can do about it. I've received every blessing they could possibly have given me, so now I'm just going to wait until it's time for me to go."

Even as she spoke the words, however, she couldn't suppress a twinge of sorrow. While Fireheart might have accepted her fate, that didn't mean it didn't still hurt. It still didn't seem fair that she was going to die when she still had so many seasons left in her. Not only that, but she would be forced to leave her family behind. She especially hated the fact that she would never get to watch Briarkit and Scorchkit grow up. Of course, she would always watch over them in StarClan, but it would never be the same.

_But it's okay, right? I mean, it has to be better than nothing. _

"I see," Bluefur murmured, her eyes slightly downcast. "Well, I'm happy to know that you're at peace with everything at the very least."

"Yeah, that's right," Fireheart agreed, forcing a note of cheerfulness into her voice that wasn't quite genuine despite what she kept telling herself.

As they continued on their walk, Fireheart realized with a note of confusion that they were heading in the direction of the sandy hollow. It had been moons since she had set foot there, the last time being when she was still training Mosspetal. Why was Bluefur taking her there now? It wasn't as though she could help with a battle training session anymore.

When they reached the hollow, however, it soon became apparent as to why they had come this way. Down below in the training grounds, seemingly oblivious to her presence, were Tigerclaw, Stormflare, Petalpaw, and Beepaw. Fireheart's two adopted daughters were engaged in what appeared to be an especially intense practice battle, with Tigerclaw and Stormflare offering words of advice here and there. She kept her gaze trained on her kits as Petalpaw reared up on her hind legs to attempt a final, crushing battle move, only for Beepaw to duck out of the way and kick her back legs into her sister's stomach, sending her flying halfway across the hollow. But Petalpaw was not to be defeated easily, and she sprang to her paws almost immediately before hurling herself at Beepaw, flipping the ginger tabby onto her stomach and pummeling mercilessly at her back.

"Just like I used to do with Tigerclaw and Whitestorm," Fireheart murmured, keeping her voice low so that Bluefur didn't overhear.

It was one of the most intense training matches she had ever witnessed. As the fight dragged on, Fireheart felt a small seed of longing begin to grow in her chest. She could still remember the thrill of leaping into battle for her Clan, ready to give up her life for the cats who had become her family even if they weren't connected by blood. Even a simple training battle sparked some sort of thrill, although it wasn't nearly as powerful.

Her paws tingled, and suddenly, Fireheart wasn't watching Petalpaw and Beepaw anymore, but herself. She was watching herself taking down a RiverClan warrior in yet another fight over Sunningrocks, her claws raking over the warrior's forehead. She was watching herself nip at an arrogant rogue that had decided to try to make a home in her territory. Finally, she was watching herself in her first official battle as a ThunderClan cat, teaming up with Tigerclaw–Tigerpaw then–to drive Raggedpelt, Foxheart, and Nightpaw out of ThunderClan's land.

_That battle...it was after that one that Tigerclaw started padding after me, wasn't it? _Fireheart remembered, feeling her whiskers twitch with amusement. She let out a sigh, staring down at the ground as she finally came back to reality. _Yes, it was. Who would have thought that things would turn out the way they did? I'm glad it happened, though. I couldn't have asked for a better life. _

Yet seeing her daughters battle so fiercely, even though she knew it wasn't real, opened up the recently-healed wounds in her heart. Once again, Fireheart was reminded of all that she would be missing out on while she waited for her death to arrive at last. She was happy with how her life had gone, all things considered, but still, the feeling of sorrow just wouldn't leave her alone.

But then again, what did it matter how she felt? It wouldn't change anything. Regardless if she felt completely miserable, overjoyed, or nothing at all, it wouldn't change the fact that her days as a warrior were over.

_Bluefur...why are you making me watch this?_

* * *

After Petalpaw and Beepaw's mock battle had finally ended, Bluefur led Fireheart back to the camp. The flame-colored molly was utterly silent, apparently pondering over one train of thought or another. A few times, Bluefur glanced over at her to see if she could figure out what was going on, but Fireheart's face remained impassive. It was quite a remarkable feat, especially given that she could usually read the younger queen's every emotion simply by looking her in the eye.

_Did we get through to her at all? _Bluefur wondered.

Frustrated with seeing Fireheart so miserable all the time, Tigerclaw had recruited her to try to bring the fiery queen back to her normal self. Maybe, just maybe, she would be willing to battle her illness that way. Yet speaking to Fireheart today, she had all but confirmed that she wasn't interested in fighting. She wasn't moping anymore, though; she was calm and accepting, which almost felt worse. If Fireheart had truly come to terms with her approaching death, then it meant she was also content to spend the rest of her life sitting around all day, waiting for the end to come.

She couldn't accept that. Bluefur knew she was being selfish, but she _wanted _Fireheart to fight. The former kittypet had always been a fighter, ever since she set foot in the forest all those seasons ago. It wasn't like her to just lie down and take whatever StarClan threw at her.

Suddenly, a squirrel went flying past her head, missing her by inches. Stunned, Bluefur stared at Fireheart, who was glaring at her with a furious expression in her emerald-colored eyes. In all her life, she had never seen her former apprentice try to _attack _her before.

"What was that for?" she spluttered indignantly.

"That was for being a fox-hearted rat!" Fireheart growled back.

"What? What do you mean by that?" Bluefur demanded, her tail lashing. "I am _not _a fox-hearted rat!"

"Oh yes, you are!" Fireheart shot back, her eyes flashing green fire.

"What did I do?" Bluefur asked, genuinely puzzled. She had expected a myriad of reactions from her sister figure, but anger was not one of them.

The flame-pelted warrior's tail lashed. "You take a cat who will never hunt or fight again, who will be _dead _in a short time, and make me watch _that_?" she meowed in disbelief, pointing her tail in the direction of the sandy hollow. Her gaze suddenly darkened with sadness. "I thought I was ready to accept my destiny before, and I thought I was satisfied with what I'd gotten...but now?"

_So I did get through to her, then, _Bluefur thought to herself, feeling a prickle of mingled relief and guilt. Padding forward, she rested her tail on Fireheart's shoulder and meowed softly, "I showed you that _because _you're going to be gone in a short time."

"I don't...I don't understand," the younger warrior protested.

"Fireheart, listen. Yes, you're sick. Yes, you're not getting better, and yes, you will die soon. I'm not saying any of that isn't true," Bluefur meowed, still keeping her tail draped around her former apprentice's shoulders. "But you're not gone yet, and we don't know for sure when you will be. So I want you to make the most of the time you _do _have left–and so does everyone else. Don't give up now. You've always been a fighter, Fireheart, remember when I told you that? Tigerclaw, Stormflare, your family and I, Mosspetal, Mistyfoot, Stonefur, and Whitestorm, we're all waiting for you to find that part of you again. So if you have anything left in you...then join us on the battlefield one more time."

Fireheart stared at her. "But Bluefur, I..."

"It won't be easy, I know," she continued. "But if anyone can do it, I know it's you. You've never been one to give up. And we'll all be here to support you when you feel like things are getting too difficult to handle."

For several heartbeats, there was no response. Instead, Fireheart turned her head to stare out into the forest, at the home she would be leaving for good in a few short moons if she was lucky. Bluefur didn't push her, just sat there patiently and waited for the young queen to sort out her thoughts. Several emotions flickered across Fireheart's face before she turned to face her again, at last, her expression resolute, sorrowful, and, if what Bluefur's eyes were telling her was correct, a small hint of hope.

"Okay," Fireheart meowed softly. She chuckled. "I must be either completely insane or just plain stupid–maybe both–but I'm going to do it. I'm going to fight my illness. Even if it's completely futile, I'm going to fight. Just as long as you keep your end of the bargain as well."

She turned her head to look out into the distance again and added, almost too softly for Bluefur to hear, "And maybe, one day, I'll be able to fight for ThunderClan again."


	46. Struggling

"Are you sure you don't want anything more to eat, Fireheart?"

"I'm fine, Tigerclaw," Fireheart purred, looking rather amused. "The three mice and two voles you gave me earlier were more than enough. Mind you, I had to share two of the mice with Stormflare and Mosspetal, but even so."

"Alright, but make sure you eat again if you get hungry later. You need to keep your strength up, after all," Tigerclaw reminded her.

Bluefur chuckled to herself as she listened to the dark tabby fussing over his mate. For the past three days, he had refused to leave her side and brought her something to eat or drink almost every time he saw her. Her amusement only increased when she caught sight of the exhausted expression on Fireheart's face. If Fireheart was feeling well enough to be worn down by Tigerclaw's constant worrying, it was a good indication that she was back to her normal self again.

Not that she could blame Tigerclaw, she supposed. After seeing Fireheart nearly lose the will to live for good, it was all Bluefur could do not to smother her former apprentice as well. The younger molly had recovered some of her strength, but her illness was still sapping most of it by the day, and Bluefur worried that all of Fireheart's bravado would be for nothing. She shook her head, trying to toss the negative thoughts away.

_She'll be fine, _Bluefur thought, trying to convince herself that it was true. _Fireheart's a strong cat. Sooner or later, she'll be able to kick her sickness aside just like she did to her greencough when she was an apprentice. Right? _

True, the future didn't look favorable for the flame-colored queen. She had known that for a while–everyone had, really. In some part of her mind, however, Bluefur was still convinced that Fireheart was going to be alright in the end–that she was so good at fighting, she could overcome anything. But it was merely wishful thinking and, she knew, only borne of a deeply buried unwillingness to accept the fact that she was going to lose someone else.

"Hey, Bluefur." Fireheart's cheerful–if more tired than usual–voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "You look a little bored there. Want to come with me and Tigerclaw to the training hollow?"

Bluefur blinked at her friend in confusion. "Why are you going to the training hollow?"

"I wanted to do some battle practice," the flame-pelted warrior explained. "If I'm ever going to fight for ThunderClan again, I need to get my strength back. Or, well, as much of it as I can."

"I tried telling her that she doesn't need to push herself too hard," Tigerclaw informed Bluefur, shaking his head. "But she's a stubborn one. I think it's obvious who Stormflare and Briarkit take after."

Fireheart rolled her eyes and nudged him playfully with her shoulder. "Oh, come off it. I won't keel over that easily, you know. I've got a lot more stamina than you think."

Bluefur watched the exchange in silence before meowing, "Well, I suppose I don't have anything to do until the sunset patrol, so I might as well come along."

"Great! Let's go, then," Fireheart meowed happily, turning around and bounding across the camp before disappearing through the gorse tunnel.

_For someone who's deathly ill, she sure does move quickly, _Bluefur thought, staring after her former apprentice.

Fireheart had disappeared by the time she and Tigerclaw got out of the camp, and Bluefur guessed that she had already gone to the sandy hollow. At least that was what she told herself, although a part of her worried that Fireheart might have collapsed somewhere in the forest. She tried to shake the idea away, but she couldn't quite manage it. After all, it wouldn't be the first time she had collapsed out of nowhere.

"Bluefur?" Tigerclaw meowed suddenly.

"Yes, Tigerclaw? Is something the matter?" she asked, glancing over at her companion.

The dark tabby hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I–I just wanted to thank you."

"Whatever for?" Bluefur asked, puzzled.

"For everything that you've done for Fireheart," Tigerclaw elaborated. He was silent for a few heartbeats before continuing, "I don't know what you said to her, but whatever it was worked. She had...well, I'm sure you know since you saw it for yourself...but she had given up. She was going to just let her illness run its course. But now...she's trying to be a regular warrior again."

"I mean, I didn't really do anything special," Bluefur meowed, feeling pleased all the same that she had been able to help Fireheart. "Besides, it wasn't just me. You helped too, you know, with that mock battle you held with Petalpaw and Beepaw."

"Perhaps," Tigerclaw agreed. He paused, then meowed, "You know, they were supposed to receive their warrior names about a moon ago."

"I know," she meowed, feeling a twinge of guilt. "We haven't forgotten, don't worry. It's just that Sunstar's health hasn't been the best lately either, and with everything that's going on with Fireheart, I guess we just haven't found the time."

"Don't worry, they understand," the dark tabby reassured her. His whiskers twitched as he added, "Just make sure they get their names soon, okay? I think Fireheart's hoping to be able to see at least one more of our litters receive their warrior names."

"Understandable," Bluefur chuckled. "I'll tell you what, we'll hold the ceremony at sunset tomorrow. I can inform Sunstar about it tonight."

"Fair enough," Tigerclaw agreed. "Now come on, we should probably hurry. Don't want to keep Fireheart waiting too long."

Fireheart, as it turned out, was already waiting in the sandy hollow by the time Bluefur and Tigerclaw caught up to her. Bluefur noted with relief that while she seemed a little tired from her run through the territory, she still looked perfectly alert and raring to start the training session. As soon as she spotted them, Fireheart bounded over to greet them, her head and tail held high.

"What took you so long?" she demanded, though without any real anger or annoyance in her voice. She shook her head. "Never mind. Let's get started already."

"Alright, alright," Bluefur meowed, flicking the younger queen over her ears affectionately. "Why don't you and Tigerclaw go at it first and I'll watch? Just make sure not to push yourself too hard. Then if you still have enough energy later, you can battle me."

"Sounds good to me," Fireheart agreed. She spun around so that she was facing Tigerclaw. "Ready when you are!"

For the next several moments, Bluefur sat down and watched as Fireheart and Tigerclaw engaged in a relatively intense mock battle. Of course, with Fireheart's illness, they couldn't battle each other at full strength, but it was clear that both cats were putting in a fair amount of effort. It was also clear that while the flame-colored warrior's strength had diminished, she was still a clever fighter. At one point during the fight, Tigerclaw tried to perform an upright lock, only for Fireheart to duck underneath him and kick her back legs into his exposed belly, sending him toppling over into the dirt. Before he could recover fully, she slammed her paw into the ground, temporarily blinding the dark tabby with a cloud of dust.

"Whoa, now!" Tigerclaw exclaimed, shutting his eyes.

"Oh, sorry," Fireheart meowed, looking guilty. "I didn't mean to kick up so much."

"No, no, I'm alright," Tigerclaw assured her quickly, blinking rapidly. "There wasn't that much anyway. That was a clever move, though. What made you think of it?"

Fireheart twitched her ear. "Well, no matter what, I'll never be able to recover all of my strength," she pointed out. "So if I ever do get to fight in a real battle again, I'll need to do everything I can to get the upper hand over my opponents. I guess kicking dust in someone's eyes isn't necessarily the most honorable tactic in the world, but you know, you have to do what you have to do. As long as I don't _kill _anyone, I think I can get a pass."

_Smart idea, _Bluefur thought to herself. _Although she is right, doing something like that would probably be frowned upon. Then again, it's not as if the other Clans don't use dishonorable tactics themselves. All's fair in battle, I guess. _

They continued their battle session for a while longer, with Fireheart fighting against Bluefur twice and Tigerclaw three more times. Eventually, however, Bluefur noticed her sister figure growing considerably weaker and called it a day. For once, Fireheart didn't protest, and she guessed that she had been right in thinking she was too tired to continue any longer. Despite her exhaustion, however, Fireheart's eyes were shining as they walked back to the camp. Bluefur purred to herself. All in all, it had been a good day, and Fireheart was finally on her way to reclaiming her warrior pride.

Suddenly, the sound of sharp, deep gasps brought Bluefur back down to earth. Snapping her head to the side, she saw that Fireheart had nearly collapsed, her eyes wide with fear and her flanks heaving as Tigerclaw frantically tried to comfort her. It looked as though she was struggling to breathe. Bluefur stared at the fiery molly in horror. How could this be happening to her? She had been fine only a few moments ago!

"Easy, Fireheart. Just take a deep breath," Tigerclaw meowed, the fear in his eyes betraying his worry.

"I–I can't," Fireheart managed to gasp out. "My chest. It's too tight."

"I'll go get Featherwhisker," Bluefur meowed. "He might have some herbs that can help."

Without waiting for a response, she spun around and raced off in the direction of the ThunderClan camp. A few moments later, however, she came to a halt, shaking her head in frustration. It would take too long to fetch Featherwhisker from his den, not to mention she didn't even know if he or Spottedleaf were there at the moment. She didn't have time to risk it. Fireheart needed help _now_. Quickly, Bluefur racked her brain, trying to remember if either Featherwhisker or Goosefeather had ever mentioned any herbs that could help with breathing issues.

_Catmint? No, that's for greencough and she isn't coughing at all. Poppy seeds? Definitely not, I don't think putting Fireheart to sleep would do any good now. I know chamomile is used to soothe a cat's heart and comfort them, but I don't think that's why this is happening right now. Comfrey...that's the herb that Goosefeather used to treat my wrenched claw, so I doubt that's the answer either. Okay, think about this rationally, Bluefur. Fireheart said that her chest felt tight, right? There must be an herb for that. I think I remember...borage leaves! Yes, borage leaves soothe tight chests–I remember Featherwhisker telling me that once. _

Breathing out a sigh of relief that she had been able to recall the correct herb, Bluefur turned to her left and started running again. There was no time to get any borage from the medicine den, so she would have to find it in the wild. She knew from experience that there was a patch of borage growing not far from where she was. Bluefur sent a silent prayer of thanks to StarClan that she had spent enough time in the nursery that she was able to recognize the plant at a glance.

Ripping off a few of the leaves, she turned around and raced back over to where Tigerclaw was still waiting with Fireheart. Bluefur felt her heart clench with fear at the sight of her friend. Fireheart's chest and flanks were still heaving, but the molly had collapsed onto her side now as if standing up while trying to breathe took too much effort. Quickly, Bluefur pushed the leaves in front of Fireheart, who stared at them in bewilderment.

"Here, eat these," she meowed urgently. "They'll help ease your chest. Do it now."

Unable to speak, Fireheart nodded and leaned over, picking up the leaves and chewing them slowly. For a few moments, Bluefur worried that she wouldn't be able to swallow them and cursed herself for bringing too much. At last, however, Fireheart managed to get all of the leaves down her throat and let out a sigh of relief, leaning her head against her paws.

"Thanks," she meowed, sounding much more comfortable than she had a few moments ago. "That was weird, huh? Let's get back to the camp now."

"I agree," Tigerclaw meowed, gently helping Fireheart back to her paws. "You should see Featherwhisker when you get back. He'll want to know about this."

Bluefur watched as Tigerclaw and Fireheart padded off in the direction of the camp, the flame-colored molly leaning on her mate for support, then followed suit. The good mood from earlier had vanished like dew on a greenleaf morning. StarClan could not have sent them a clearer message. Fireheart wasn't only fighting her illness anymore. If she wanted a chance of ever battling again, she was in a race against time as well.


	47. Bees and Flowers

Fortunately, Fireheart was well enough to attend Petalpaw and Beepaw's warrior ceremonies the following evening. As she sat near the center of the clearing with Briarkit and Scorchkit on one side and Tigerclaw on the other, she waited patiently for her two adopted daughters to arrive. When they finally emerged from the apprentices' den, Fireheart felt her heart swell with pride. Her kits looked every bit the noble warriors she knew they would grow to become one day. Their pelts were sleek and glossy and they held their heads high, eyes shining with pride.

At the same time, however, she couldn't suppress a pang of sorrow. Petalpaw and Beepaw would serve their Clan well, perhaps even ascending to the rank of deputy or even Clan leader one day. But she wouldn't be there to see it if or when it happened. Fireheart wondered if her kits knew how proud she was of them, even if she wouldn't always be there to cheer for their accomplishments.

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these two apprentices." Sunstar's voice cut into the crisp evening air, thankfully cutting off the rest of Fireheart's thoughts. "They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Petalpaw and Beepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," Petalpaw meowed, practically shaking with excitement.

"I do," Beepaw echoed.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Petalpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Petalshine. StarClan honors your spirit and your courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan. Beepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Beestripe. StarClan honors your humor and your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Fireheart's heart swelled, if possible, even more as she watched Sunstar rest his muzzle on her daughters' foreheads. Petalshine and Beestripe each gave him a respectful lick on his shoulder and stepped back, their eyes gleaming with happiness.

"Petalshine! Beestripe!" she yowled, trying to convey all of her feelings of motherly pride and joy into those two words.

"Petalshine! Beestripe!" The call was taken up by Tigerclaw, followed quickly by the rest of the Clan. Even Briarkit and Scorchkit joined in, excitement for their older sisters clear on their faces.

"As per our tradition, Petalshine and Beestripe will keep a silent vigil for one night," Sunstar announced once the cheers had died down. "That is all. You may go back to your regular duties now."

The rest of the Clan dispersed as several of Fireheart's Clanmates went to take a piece of fresh-kill to share with a friend or left on a patrol of some sort. A few of them, however, stayed behind to congratulate Petalshine and Beestripe. Fireheart pushed her way to the front of the group, wanting to be the first to greet her daughters. She didn't care if it was selfish of her; this was her last chance to see one of her kits earn this accomplishment and she intended to savor every last moment.

"Well done, you two," Fireheart purred, giving Petalshine and Beestripe a lick between their ears. More softly, she added, "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Fireheart," Petalshine meowed as Beestripe nudged her shoulder affectionately.

"We won't let you down," her other daughter added.

"You could never let me down. Not in a thousand moons," Fireheart murmured.

Tigerclaw walked forward to stand beside her. "Remember, no speaking until dawn," he reminded them. "Unless there's an emergency, in which case you should wake up Sunstar or call an alarm if there's no time."

"We know, Tigerclaw," Petalshine answered, nodding fervently.

"We'll make sure to be extra quiet," Beestripe added.

"I know you will," the dark tabby purred.

Briarkit bounced up and down, her tail trembling with excitement. "Can I sit vigil with you too?" she asked eagerly. "I can be really quiet too, I promise!"

Beestripe purred in amusement. "Not yet, Briarkit. You've still got a long way to go before you have to sit vigil," she chuckled.

"No fair," Briarkit pouted. "Can I sit with you anyway? It sounds so much better than staying in the nursery."

Fireheart chuckled. "I think you'll be changing your mind when night comes, sweetheart. It's going to be cold out here in the middle of the camp and you'll be nice and warm in the nursery. Besides, if you try to stay awake all night, you'll be tired and grumpy tomorrow."

"I'm never grumpy," the black kit protested, her eyes wide.

"Yes, you are," Scorchkit disagreed immediately. "You're grumpy whenever White-eye tells you it's time to go to bed."

"Yeah, but that's because she's so _boring_!" Briarkit complained, letting out a needlessly dramatic sigh of annoyance. "She always makes us go to bed right in the middle of our games. And I'm not grumpy!"

"Of course you aren't, dear," Fireheart meowed, shaking her head in amusement.

Briarkit's eyes lit up. "See? Fireheart agrees with me."

After a while, the group eventually split up with Briarkit and Scorchkit being herded back to the nursery and Tigerclaw going to meet Sparrowpelt and Lionheart for a border patrol. Fireheart dipped her head in a farewell to Petalshine and Beestripe before turning to head back to her own nest in the medicine den. Before she could get very far, however, she was stopped by the sound of Sunstar calling her name.

"Ah, Fireheart," the ThunderClan leader meowed, striding over to her. "I apologize for interrupting you. Would you mind taking a walk with me?"

"Oh–er, sure," Fireheart agreed, more than a little bemused. What could Sunstar possibly need to talk to her about? "Er–but I really shouldn't be going far, I mean..."

"Don't worry, we won't be gone long. Featherwhisker would have my tail if he knew I let anything happen to one of his patients," Sunstar meowed, a note of amusement in his voice. Fireheart remembered suddenly that her leader and the medicine cat were littermates.

"Er...yeah, okay," she agreed, not knowing what else to say.

She followed Sunstar as the Clan leader led the way out of the camp. As they walked, Fireheart couldn't help noticing how frail the bright ginger tom looked. His fur seemed duller than usual and although his body was still well-muscled, there was a certain stiffness to his movements. When she had to pause to catch her breath, he looked at her worriedly, and she could see a distinct weariness in his eyes. Fireheart stifled a sad sigh; it looked as though she wasn't the only one dealing with an illness.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked when the silence had dragged on for a little too long.

"It's nothing much," Sunstar reassured her. "I was just wondering...well, how have you been feeling lately?"

Of course, he just wanted to know how she was dealing with being sick. She should have figured. Fireheart shook her head to herself. Not that she didn't appreciate his concern, but the constant questioning from her Clanmates wore on her nerves at times. If she had a mouse for every time someone asked if she was okay, she would have enough to feed the entire forest for the next six seasons.

"I'm doing alright," she replied honestly.

"Are you sure?" Sunstar asked, looking at her seriously. "I know you haven't been well lately, and being as ill as you are can be a lot for any cat to handle. It's alright to admit that you aren't okay."

"Thanks, Sunstar, but I promise I'm doing fine," Fireheart meowed patiently. He just looked at her and she sighed. "I mean...it's hard sometimes, of course, knowing that–that I probably won't be here anymore soon. But I accepted that a long time ago. All I can do now is try to keep up with my regular warrior duties as much as possible. Because I don't want my Clanmates' last memory of me to be seeing me waste away in the medicine den."

Sunstar nodded, his gaze softening. "You're very brave, Fireheart."

Personally, Fireheart thought that _she _should be the one asking her leader if he was alright. Maybe it wasn't her place to, but anyone could see that the bright ginger tom was unwell. It was a well-known fact by now that Sunstar was on his last life, and looking at the ThunderClan leader now, Fireheart couldn't help wondering how much time he had left. He had been slowing down for a few moons now–since before she fell ill, as a matter of fact.

"We should head back to the camp," Sunstar meowed eventually. "It's been a long day and I think we both need to rest. Thank you for walking with me, Fireheart."

"Of course," Fireheart meowed respectfully, dipping her head.

She followed her Clan leader back toward the camp in silence, mulling over the conversation that had just taken place. It seemed strange that Sunstar would take her aside just to check to see how she was doing, but Fireheart brushed it off as him simply attempting to be more involved in his warriors' well-being. If that were the case, she could commend him for it.

Even so, though, it would be nice if every once in a while, her Clanmates stopped treating her with pity.

Fireheart shook her head as they stepped into the camp, brushing her thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time to brood over the fact that everyone felt sorry for her. Her daughters had made it. They had earned their warrior names, and she had gotten to see it happen. Purring to herself, she pushed her way into the medicine den and curled up in her nest, her mind filled with images of Petalshine and Beestripe's proud faces.

* * *

**Fireheart really, really does not need anyone to ask if she's okay. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**-TheShadowedWarrior**


	48. Fever

"Fireheart! Fireheart, no, wake up!"

Tigerclaw shot up in his nest as Stormflare's anguished wail sounded throughout the camp. A few nests away, Bluefur, Mosspetal, Petalshine, and Beestripe lifted their heads, their eyes filled with worry. Without hesitating, the dark tabby leaped out of his nest and bounded across the camp to the medicine den. Pushing his way through the fern tunnel, he came to a halt inside the cave, freezing in shock at the sight that greeted him.

Fireheart's eyes were shut tight, and her breath was coming in short gasps. Stormflare was hovering over the flame-pelted queen with a terrified expression on her face, but Fireheart didn't even seem to notice her daughter in front of her. She was thankfully alive, but it was obvious that she was in pain and try as she might, Stormflare was unable to rouse her.

"What's happening to her?" Stormflare wailed, looking at Tigerclaw desperately. "I just came here to visit her and I found her like this..."

"I don't know," Tigerclaw whispered, staring down at his mate as she continued to pant and gasp for air.

The tortoiseshell molly touched her nose to her mother's forehead and jumped back. "She's burning hot! Tigerclaw, what are we–?"

"Let me through!" Featherwhisker demanded, pushing past Stormflare with a bundle of wet moss in his jaws. "Stand back, both of you. Fireheart needs me and Spottedleaf right now."

Tigerclaw stepped back obediently and watched as Featherwhisker and, a few heartbeats later, Spottedleaf began dripping the water from the moss onto Fireheart's forehead. It was going to be okay, he told himself. Featherwhisker and Spottedleaf were gifted medicine cats; they could fix whatever was going on with her now. They would know what to do. He felt Stormflare shaking beside him and gently rested his tail-tip on her shoulder to try to comfort her. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking, but as he watched the two medicine cats tending to Fireheart, Tigerclaw could have sworn that he saw his mate's body relax ever so slightly.

"What's going on?" Bluefur had arrived, along with Mosspetal, Petalshine, and Beestripe. "Is Fireheart okay? What happened?"

"We're not sure," Tigerclaw meowed, grateful for the chance to distract himself, if only temporarily. "But Featherwhisker and Spottedleaf are treating her now, and she seems to be doing a little better than before."

"She doesn't look too good," Petalshine remarked, looking at Fireheart fearfully. "Do you think she's going to be okay?"

Meanwhile, Mosspetal had padded over to comfort Stormflare. Tigerclaw took a moment to chuckle fondly at the two mollies before turning back to his younger daughter.

"Yes," he replied with a little more conviction than he felt. "Featherwhisker and Spottedleaf will do what they have to do."

"That's right, we will," Featherwhisker meowed, speaking for the first time since he had started treating Fireheart. "But we won't get much done with all of you standing in the way. I'm sorry, I know you're worried about her, but I'm going to have to ask you to step outside until we're finished."

"But–" Beestripe protested, but the silver-gray tom cut her off.

"No buts. I'm sorry, Beestripe, but it's best for everyone if we have as much space to work with as possible," he meowed gently.

"Come on, everyone," Bluefur ordered. "We should listen to Featherwhisker. Tigerclaw, Stormflare, and Mosspetal, I want you to come with me on a border patrol. Petalshine and Beestripe, you two can go hunting. Try Sunningrocks if you will, it's a good day out and there should be plenty of prey around."

Realizing that it would do no good to argue, Tigerclaw turned away obediently and followed Bluefur out of the medicine den, casting one last look at Fireheart over his shoulder. The two of them paused by the gorse tunnel and waited for Stormflare and Mosspetal to catch up. When the younger mollies finally arrived, Stormflare appeared to be a little more cheerful than she had earlier, but there was still a distant look of sadness in her eyes. Mosspetal murmured something in her ear that Tigerclaw couldn't quite catch, and the tortoiseshell warrior blinked at her mate gratefully.

Bluefur elected to head toward the ShadowClan border since no one had gone that way in a few days and since Petalshine and Beestripe would be near RiverClan territory, there wasn't much point in going that way either. As they walked, Tigerclaw decided to do a bit of light hunting in order to take his mind off of Fireheart. He could only imagine the sort of lecture she would give him if he got hurt because he was distracted on a border patrol. Fortunately, although it wasn't quite up to his usual standard, he managed to catch two mice and a blackbird by the time they reached the Thunderpath.

"Be careful around here," Bluefur warned them. "It's been a few days since anyone came this way, but the last few patrols have reported an increase in ShadowClan activity around the border."

"Have any of them crossed over?" Mosspetal asked, her fur bristling.

The deputy shook her head. "Not yet, but a few of them have definitely thought about it–especially that new warrior, Brokentail. We need to make sure they haven't gotten any ideas while we neglected to patrol here."

As it turned out, she was right to be cautious. When they passed by the Owl Tree, Tigerclaw stiffened as he picked up a familiar stench on their side of the border. He sniffed at the base of the tree just to be certain, and sure enough, there was the faint scent of ShadowClan near the roots. Bluefur padded forward and sniffed as well, her eyes darkening with anger.

"ShadowClan," she hissed. "I knew it. Come on, let's go back home. We have to report this to Sunstar."

* * *

The ThunderClan leader was sharing a piece of fresh-kill with Adderfang when the patrol arrived back at the camp. Bluefur didn't waste any time and stalked up to her old mentor, clearly still furious about finding the ShadowClan warrior's scent on their territory. Tigerclaw hung back as the two senior warriors conversed, wondering whether his presence was needed.

"Did you see any ShadowClan warriors?" Sunstar asked, frowning.

Bluefur shook her head. "The scent was stale–at least a few hours old if I had to guess. But there was an increase in ShadowClan activity near the border over the past few days."

"I see," the bright ginger tom murmured. "Thank you for letting me know, Bluefur. I hope this is just a one-time incident, but we should send a few extra patrols that way just in case."

Sensing that he wouldn't be needed to make a report, Tigerclaw turned around and headed over to the medicine den. He hoped that Featherwhisker and Spottedleaf had been able to help Fireheart–he hadn't seen any sign of the medicine cats since returning to the camp, which he took as a good sign. If Fireheart had died while they were gone, surely they would have made sure to tell him and Stormflare as soon as they came home.

"Featherwhisker?" Tigerclaw called out, pausing just outside the entrance to the cave. "Is it alright if I come in now?"

"Yes, Tigerclaw, it's fine," Featherwhisker's voice called back.

Stormflare bounded over to join him. "What's happening? Is Fireheart okay? Can we see her now?"

Tigerclaw rested his tail on his daughter's shoulder. "Yes, little one. We can see her now."

Fireheart was sitting up in her nest when Tigerclaw and Stormflare stepped inside Featherwhisker's den. Her eyes were slightly glassy and she barely seemed able to hold herself up. Nevertheless, she purred warmly at the sight of her mate and daughter, allowing Stormflare to rush over to her and press her muzzle firmly against her mother's shoulder. Tigerclaw followed more slowly and gave Fireheart a gentle lick to her forehead, wincing internally at how hot she felt.

"How are you feeling?" he asked worriedly.

"I've felt better, but not too bad," Fireheart rasped. "Featherwhisker gave me some herbs to help ease my breathing when I woke up, but the fever doesn't seem to want to go down."

"Are you hungry? I can bring you a rabbit," Stormflare offered.

However, Fireheart shook her head. "Thank you, sweetheart, but I don't think I could eat anything right now. I'll see how I feel later, though."

"Okay." Stormflare's tail drooped slightly. "I'll bring you one anyway and you can eat it if you feel better tonight."

"Thank you, dear," Fireheart purred. She yawned and added, "You two probably shouldn't stay long. I don't want you to get sick too. Tell the others that I'm okay, will you?"

"Alright," Tigerclaw murmured. He didn't want to leave her side, but he could see the sense in her words. "We'll come back to visit you tomorrow. Come on, Stormflare."

He turned and walked out of the den with Stormflare as Fireheart closed her eyes and curled up in her nest. It was obvious that even that short conversation had taken a lot of energy from her, and he felt a pang of fear in his stomach. This time, she had gotten lucky. But she wasn't out of the woods yet. She was still weak and feverish, and to make matters worse, she wasn't as strong as she used to be.

_Is this the end? _


	49. Fireheart's Final Stand

How long had she been lying in Featherwhisker's den now?

Fireheart struggled to keep track of the days through the raging heat that burned inside her head. She slipped in and out of consciousness so often that truthfully, there was no way for her to tell how much time had passed. For all she knew, she could have been there for a few days, a few moons, or only a few hours. Not that there was much point in keeping track of time anyway; she merely did so out of sheer boredom. The medicine den didn't exactly provide much in the way of entertainment, after all.

_Although I guess I won't be bored for much longer, _she thought wearily.

Almost instinctively, her eyes strayed over to the pile of herbs beside her nest. Spottedleaf had placed them there before leaving to gather moss with a firm order to eat them, but Fireheart couldn't bring herself to do so. What was the point? She had known for a long time that this day was coming. The inevitable had finally happened; she was going to die any day now. There was no use in trying to delay it any longer.

_At least I got to see two more of my kits become warriors, _Fireheart thought.

She knew her family would be alright without her. Her kits were all fine, strong warriors and Tigerclaw would be a wonderful father to them. Fireheart was counting on him to help their children through their grief and to raise Briarkit and Scorchkit. Bluefur could help too; she had been close with her former mentor ever since she first set foot in the forest. Her only regret was that she hadn't been allowed to spend more time with everyone.

Perhaps it was just the fever, but a moment later, Fireheart could have sworn she heard voices outside the camp. This wouldn't have been unusual in and of itself except for the fact that there was an odd sense of urgency to the conversation. Curious, she strained her ears, trying to listen in on what was being said.

"...and Bluefur is leading an attack on ShadowClan now," Stormtail meowed. "She, Tigerclaw, Stormflare, Lionheart, and Runningwind all went to their camp. They're probably fighting right now as we speak."

"Good, maybe that will teach them not to hunt on our territory," Speckletail growled.

"It's high time someone taught them a lesson," Smallear agreed.

"But will five warriors be enough?" Dappletail fretted. "You know how fox-hearted ShadowClan has become. Do you really think we sent enough warriors to take on their entire camp?"

Suddenly, the sound of pawsteps pounding the earth sounded throughout the camp. Fireheart barely had time to wonder what was going on before Lionheart's voice rang out, filled with urgency.

"Everyone, you have to come quick! ShadowClan is invading our territory!" he meowed.

"What?" Stormtail exclaimed. "What's going on? I thought you would have reached their camp by now!"

"We didn't even make it to the border. When we got to the Owl Tree, there was a patrol of ShadowClan warriors waiting for us. They must have brought at least half of their Clan," Lionheart panted, clearly out of breath. His voice grew indignant as he added, "They were accusing us of stealing prey from their territory!"

"Excuse me?" Speckletail hissed. "Who do they think they are? _They're _the ones who have been stealing from us!"

"I don't know, Speckletail. But we don't have time to wonder about that now," Lionheart meowed urgently. "We're losing the fight. There are just too many of them. I only just managed to get away so I could grab reinforcements."

"Say no more," the tabby queen meowed. "We might not be as young as we used to be, but we've still got some fight left in us. Dappletail, go wake up Goldenflower and tell her to come with us. We'll leave as soon as she's out here."

Fireheart's head spun. Her family–well, part of it anyway–was being attacked and she wasn't there to help. What was she supposed to do? The patrol was made up of some of the best fighters in the Clan–in Tigerclaw's case, possibly the entire forest–but no one was unbeatable and from the sound of things, the odds were stacked against them. Normally, Fireheart would have brushed it aside–after all, it was impossible to win every battle. But this was ShadowClan, and she wouldn't have put it past one of their warriors to "accidentally" kill one of her Clanmates.

She couldn't let that happen. Even if she was on her last legs, her Clan still needed her. Still weak from her fever, Fireheart struggled to her paws and stumbled out of the medicine den, heading determinedly for the gorse tunnel. At the last second, she turned around and cast one last glance toward the nursery. Briarkit and Scorchkit were taking their afternoon nap now. As much as she wanted to believe that she would see them when she returned, she knew this wasn't the case.

"I'm sorry, little ones," Fireheart whispered. "I'll always be watching over you, I promise."

Taking a deep breath, she summoned what little energy she had left and raced out into the forest.

* * *

By the time Fireheart reached the battle, the tide had already started to turn. Lionheart's reinforcements had done the trick, and most of the ShadowClan warriors had fled back to their own territory. But there were still quite a few left, and as she launched herself at the nearest enemy warrior–a dark gray molly–she felt the familiar surge of adrenaline course through her veins.

_This is it, _she thought as she slashed her claws across the molly's face, splattering both of them with blood. _This is my final stand. Let's make it count. _

She bit down hard on her opponent's shoulder, ripping out a chunk of flesh. The molly screeched in agony and tore herself away, pelting off in the direction of the ShadowClan border. Spitting her blood onto the ground, Fireheart scanned the battlefield to see how the rest of her Clanmates were faring. Bluefur and Lionheart were battling side by side, fighting against Russetfur and Nightpelt. Tigerclaw was in a fierce match against two ShadowClan warriors. Although he was outnumbered, he loomed over both of them and they were no match for his power and fury. Within heartbeats, he had sent both of them fleeing the battlefield with their tails between their legs. Fireheart breathed out a sigh of relief before continuing to scan the clearing. Soon, she had accounted for every one of her Clanmates–every single one, that is, except Stormflare.

_She has to be here somewhere though, right? _Fireheart thought, her stomach twisting. _Surely if she fled the battle, I would have seen her on my way here. _

A pain-filled yowl split the air, and Fireheart felt her stomach tighten further as she recognized her daughter's voice. Spinning around, she raced off in the direction the voice had come from. As she ran, she stumbled slightly but righted herself almost immediately. Now wasn't the time to be showing weakness.

Stormflare was being pinned down by a dark brown tabby with a flat face, blood pouring from a wound in her shoulder. Fireheart let out a growl as she recognized Brokentail, the ShadowClan warrior who had nearly started a fight during multiple Gatherings as an apprentice and whose scent had, according to Bluefur, been discovered on their territory just days ago. There was a mad gleam in his eyes as he lifted his head, preparing to give Stormflare a vicious bite to her already-injured shoulder.

Fireheart had seen enough. With a yowl, she launched herself at the ShadowClan tom, knocking him away from Stormflare.

"Get away from my daughter!" she snarled, clawing him across the muzzle.

Brokentail stumbled away from her, spitting blood onto the ground. His eyes gleamed. "So, this is what ThunderClan sends out for fighting forces these days? A sick queen and her weak kittypet daughter?"

"Fireheart!" Stormflare shrieked.

"There are no kittypets in ThunderClan, ShadowClan scum!" Fireheart hissed. "And I'm more than enough to take the likes of you on."

"We'll see about that," the flat-faced tom spat.

Letting out a snarl, Fireheart launched herself at Brokentail. At the same time, the dark brown warrior hurled himself at her, his claws outstretched. White-hot pain seared through her as his claws caught her throat, raking themselves down her belly. The edges of her vision went dark for a moment before she shook her head to clear it, delivering a crushing blow to Brokentail's head in retaliation. The ShadowClan tom staggered backward, giving Fireheart enough time to rake her claws down his face and give him a vicious bite to his ear. With a final yowl of fury, he whirled around and raced back to his own territory.

"ShadowClan, retreat!" That was Raggedstar's voice.

A yowl of triumph rose from the ThunderClan cats as the last of the ShadowClan warriors fled the battle. Fireheart tried to join in, but she was too exhausted. Her Clanmates' voices seemed to echo around her as though coming from inside a dark cave. Black spots dotted her vision and she resisted the urge to collapse onto the ground. Something warm and wet was trickling down her front, dripping onto the forest floor, and it took her a few moments to realize it was blood.

_We won, _she thought weakly. Then, unable to hold herself up any longer, she stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Fireheart, no!" Stormflare yowled.

The sound of her cry alerted the rest of the battle patrol. Tigerclaw was the first to reach her, followed by Stormflare and Bluefur. Fireheart struggled to keep her eyes open as her family crowded around her, their eyes filled with identical looks of sorrow and disbelief. She tried to sit up but found that she couldn't even move her head.

"It's time...it's really time," she murmured, half to herself.

"Don't say that," Bluefur meowed, her voice unusually sharp. "You're not leaving us. Runningwind, go back and fetch Featherwhisker. Tell him to come as quickly as possible."

"No," Fireheart coughed, now struggling to speak. "Don't bother. Just let it happen. I wanted it to be like this anyway."

"But why?" Stormflare wailed. "Why now? You could have lived a little bit longer if you'd stayed home!"

"That's not how I was meant to die," Fireheart whispered. "I swore a long time ago that if I was going to die, I would die fighting. And protecting you...I couldn't ask for a better way to go."

Tigerclaw touched his nose gently to her forehead. "You've been very brave," he murmured. Fireheart could see sadness in his eyes but also a sense of acceptance, and she had never loved him more than at that moment.

"Take care of our kits," she rasped, panting with the effort to speak.

"You know I will," Tigerclaw promised.

Fireheart turned her gaze toward Bluefur next. "Thank you...for everything. For teaching me so well and for being my friend."

Bluefur's eyes flashed with pain. "I couldn't have asked for a better apprentice," she murmured. "I'm the one who should be thanking you. If it weren't for you, Mosspetal might have died that leaf-bare."

"Let's call it even, then," Fireheart chuckled.

She could feel herself slipping away now. Summoning up the last reserves of her strength, she turned to speak to Stormflare one last time.

"Take care of your siblings. Watch over them for me," she meowed softly. "They'll need you now. And tell Briarkit and Scorchkit I'm sorry...sorry that I won't be here to watch them grow. But I'll always be watching over them from StarClan and I hope one day, they'll understand. I know I'm leaving them in safe paws."

Stormflare buried her nose into her fur. "I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, sweetheart," Fireheart rasped.

Then she closed her eyes and allowed a wave of blackness to wash over her, pulling her away from her friends and family forever.


	50. Epilogue

Scorchpaw padded through the forest after Spottedleaf, trying desperately to keep up with his mentor. It was his first day as a medicine cat apprentice, and he wanted to prove that she had made the right choice in choosing him. She was still young herself, and no one would have blamed her if she had chosen to wait a few more seasons to pick an apprentice. But Spottedleaf had been adamant that Scorchpaw was the one she wanted, and he was determined not to lose her faith.

The Clan was still reeling from Featherwhisker's death just half a moon ago. ThunderClan had been struck by a severe bout of greencough, and the old medicine cat had worked overtime to try to cure his patients. In the end, he had paid the ultimate price for his dedication, contracting and later succumbing to the disease. It had been a devastating loss, but the Clan knew Featherwhisker would have a place of honor in StarClan.

_He'll be with her too, _Scorchpaw thought, feeling a pang in his chest.

Even after three moons, not a single day went by that he didn't miss Fireheart. He knew that his mother was watching him from StarClan, of course, but it wasn't the same. When he was still a kit, Scorchpaw had imagined her congratulating him during his apprentice ceremony, her eyes shining with pride as she smoothed his fur. While he was sure that she was still proud of him, it hurt to know that she would never comfort him with her touch again.

His family still missed her terribly as well. After her death, Tigerclaw had taken a break from his warrior duties to spend time with Scorchpaw and Briarpaw in the nursery, insisting that he needed to be there for them. Once they were old enough to become apprentices, he had resumed his duties. Stormflare and Mosspetal had adopted a stray kittypet kit, and Scorchpaw's older sister had named her Firekit in honor of Fireheart. It was a strange choice since the kit was dark gray, but he suspected the name choice had something to do with Fireheart's birthplace rather than her pelt color. Petalshine and Beestripe had dedicated their time to helping Stormflare and Mosspetal take care of Firekit, remembering when Fireheart had done the same for them.

"Spottedleaf?" Scorchpaw meowed softly. The pretty tortoiseshell set down the borage leaves she had gathered and turned to face him.

"Yes, Scorchpaw? What is it?" she asked kindly.

He shuffled his paws awkwardly. "I was just wondering if...well...did you know Fireheart very well?"

"I did, in fact," Spottedleaf meowed, blinking warmly at him. A distant, almost wistful look came over her amber eyes. "Fireheart was a remarkable cat, Scorchpaw. She was one of the best fighters and hunters in the Clan, but perhaps more importantly, she was also fiercely loyal and uncommonly kindhearted. When I was in a dark place, she was the one who pulled me out of it. She saved my life and I will forever be indebted to her for it."

"Tigerclaw mentioned that Fireheart didn't like him very much when they were younger," Scorchpaw meowed, feeling his whiskers twitch.

"That's true," his mentor agreed, chuckling fondly. "Your father has changed quite a bit now from the cat he used to be. I was still in the nursery when he was an apprentice, and I remember him being quite arrogant. He was an excellent fighter, but he behaved as though he believed himself to be better than everyone. That's what Fireheart couldn't stand about him, and she made no secret of that. Tigerclaw had to work hard to get her to consider even being his friend. But he came out a better cat because of it, and eventually, she fell in love with him too. And they remained that way throughout the rest of Fireheart's life."

"I think that was the most remarkable thing about her," Spottedleaf continued, and Scorchpaw glanced at her questioningly. "Her ability to feel love. When Fireheart loved someone, she loved them wholly and unconditionally, and more importantly, she always had room in her heart for more. She would have gone to the end of the world if it meant her loved ones were happy and safe."

Scorchpaw nodded as he picked a few more leaves to add to his collection. Even though he missed his mother deeply, it pleased him to know that she had cared about him and the rest of his family. During his darkest days, that was the one truth that had always comforted him. Despite himself, however, he couldn't suppress a sharp twinge of sorrow as he thought about Fireheart.

"I miss her," he meowed softly, staring down at the ground.

"I know," Spottedleaf meowed softly, resting her tail on his shoulder. "We all miss her. But she's watching over us from StarClan, and she'll be there to guide your paws every step of the way. And when it's your time to join our warrior ancestors, she'll be the first to welcome you."

"You're positive?" Scorchpaw asked, staring at his mentor imploringly.

"I swear it on every breath in my body," the tortoiseshell molly meowed solemnly.

Scorchpaw relaxed slightly. "Thanks, Spottedleaf," he whispered.

Someday, perhaps, a day would arrive when the thought of Fireheart didn't send a sharp pain through his heart. He knew that he would always long for her presence in some way, but he also knew that he couldn't afford to dwell on his loss for too long. His Clan still needed him, after all. Besides, wouldn't he still be close to his mother anyway, since he would be sharing dreams with StarClan during every half-moon trip to the Moonstone?

_I promise, Fireheart...no matter what it takes, I'll be the best medicine cat my Clan could ask for. I'll love my family and my Clan just as much as you did, _he promised to himself.

"Come on," Spottedleaf murmured gently, picking up the borage leaves they had gathered. "It's getting late. Let's go back to the camp."

As the two cats padded back in the direction of the ThunderClan camp, they were unaware of the presence of two cats sitting in the shadows, observing them silently. One of them was a molly with fur as white as snow, while the other was another molly with a pelt that blazed like fire. They watched their Clanmates walk away, the younger one being comforted by the older, a wistful look in their wisdom-filled eyes.

"Oh, Scorchpaw," Fireheart meowed softly, gazing after her youngest son.

"He'll be alright," Snowfur murmured from beside her.

Fireheart brushed her tail against her companion's side. "I know he will be," she agreed.

Silently, the two StarClan cats rose to their paws. Pausing one last time to glance after Spottedleaf and Scorchpaw, they turned around and padded in the opposite direction. A few heartbeats later, they vanished from sight. The breeze rustled through the trees, and a faint whisper sounded as if Fireheart was sending one last message to her son.

_Good luck, Scorchpaw. I will watch over you forever. _


End file.
